Tale of Two Kings: Redux
by SocialistBukharin
Summary: From nothingness, a king is born. The issue? He isn't from this age and time... nor he seems that willing go through this gig. (Medieval FSN SI)
1. Why are you looking at me like that?

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**F/SN, F/Z, F/KPI and other products related to the Fate Series are all owned by TYPE-MOON, Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Prologue: **** Why are you looking at me like that?**

* * *

Coming from a lazy potato couch that was urged to try and experience this kind of stuff, I have to admit that I was surprised of what I was looking at while enjoying a pleasant walk through the beautiful lands that surrounded several cities all around England.

Not only was I having a relaxing moment alone and away from any nagging individuals, but I was also awed by how this natural heaven I was exploring looked to be something truly astonishing to visit thanks to this trip here in Great Britain.

It was a perfect example of how there was still restrain among humans to not destroy everything that is green or originally natural, the purity of the planet preserved… for now as people could, like me, enjoy the bountiful aspect of Earth.

You would ask 'Why are you starting this tale with this boring set up and not straight into the action?' and I frankly can't think of a reason myself why.

Maybe it just felt nice to begin with a little and peaceful scenario to better introduce to my cast of spectators the incredible adventure that awaited me, the great journey that was just mere moments to come crash down onto my unsuspecting head.

Anyway, talking about all this gibberish was starting to remind me the horrible torture my feet had been suffering months ago because of the aimless wandering and of the never-ending feeling that I was being spied upon while I tried to 'enjoy' this wonderful place away from civilization.

Still, interestingly enough, some absurd madness happened mere moments after this peaceful instants.

For a moment, I was begging all deities that existed in this world to give me some relief in the form of a pleasant glade where to rest, while hopefully avoid any unpleasant encounters, and then I felt myself falling toward the grounds.

You might think 'Oh! Is that some magical deus ex machina to get yourself in something epic?'.

Wrong! Nada!

A traitorous root coming from one of the many identical tree near to where I was had willingly tripped my poor, sore right foot and caused my entire body to painfully trip on the ground.

Muttering some not-so-holy words to the tree that caused the whole debacle, insulting its ancestors, its ancestors' ancestors and his ancestors' cow, I finally noticed a curious issue that I had made just a few minutes earlier.

A good explorer should never forget where he came from while going for this kind of aimless walks deep in the woods.

Sadly, the dumb dude that's me wasn't a good explorer and in my shenanigans I might have forgotten where I should go to make my way back civilization.

Several mood swings happening in a solid ten minutes, from anger to regret, from insanity to serious self-bantering about the intentions behind this unplanned excursion.

To be fair, maybe I should have expected to find myself in this kind of situation, especially when I vehemently refused some crazy-looking guide's attempt to guide me around during this solo trip.

I mean, after seeing some scary horror movies, I can't help but feel rather uneasy at having some permanently wide-eyed fellow with some insane-looking big smile plastered on his face.

Hopefully the one that was spying on me was this pseudo-murderer, that it was just my consciousness trying to make things 'scarier' for the sake of… something.

…

I don't know anymore what to say at this point, what about we move straight into the mind of mine?

Who knows, maybe I was calmly thinking about the possibilities I had, experimenting my chances to make a safe return home and-

"Why God? Why did you leave me?!"

Jeez, sure I was truly looking useless back then. I remember trying everything possible by the circumstances to solve my big and unavoidable issue.

"Phone, don't betray me!" I barked at the device I was holding in my hands.

***Low Battery and no connection***

"Dangit!" I furiously holstered it back in one of my pants' pocket.

Once all of my chances of survival were expired, those that were supposed to see me make a safe return home, in my exhausted state of mind, I started to contemplate how to survive in such hostile habitat.

"As Bear Grylls says, first we need a source of water. And I'm certainly not going for his Plan B."

Thus, after walking for several hours deeper in that unknown forest while trying to find some source of water, I found it eventually together with a temporary refuge in the form of a cave nearby.

Until I was able to return to a village or a town and get out of that green hell, I wasn't going to sleep outside where animals could have exploited my weak, sleeping state.

"Please Jesus, let this cave be empty and void of any possible ferocious animal and serial killers."

Slowly, I ventured inside the cave with a careful but tensely slow pace and by the very moment that I made my first step inside, I make I felt like in one of those fantasy movies.

Not only was it spacious, but it had some curious pictures painted by Gods' know who as I was fairly sure that any-cave with this kind of stuff would have been found by some archeologist and properly secured it considering how close it was to a major city.

Ignoring the already ominous note of this encounter, I found myself intrigued by the pictures themselves, or rather by the unique figures displayed by those.

Some were representing humans, others animals... and dragons… and scary demonic monsters?

"Is this cave the cove of some Lord of the Rings cult or what?" I found myself muttering to myself, knowing by now that there was no one here to cause me any trouble.

There was no noises that could make it seem like there was any animal lurking around, nothing dangerous at least.

Still, the odd painted figures left me with a certain uneasy vibe over what was going on but I still walked even further in the dark place until I noticed something else.

Something that was providing some shiny light and some mystical hue to the whole place.

Something that solved my grand problem… at least until I was back to civilization

"Oh... SHINY WATER! FINALLY!"

To make it clear, my state of mind was already influenced by the fact I had skipped breakfast that day, I had forgotten to bring some water bottle or any snacks to keep me energized and… not prone to go this mad.

But just as I paced quickly towards the body of water, the unthinkable happened again-

"Oh No! Not Again! Goddammit, you painful son of a-"

I tripped again. I fucking tripped again and this time on some blasted rock, right into the small glowing light-blue lake in front of me.

"-tch!"

Falling again face first to the floor caused my brain to almost shut down completely. My mind was unable to understand why the floor felt different as it was neither water, nor it was the sturdy stone of the cave.

My hands were testing the texture while I tried to recover from this fall and I noticed that the floor was made by... wood?

Then other details started to slowly add up at my 'something is wrong' brain folder, as I felt a sudden source of heat warming my body and I was quick to also notice that I wasn't alone anymore in that…

This isn't the cave.

My eyes adjusted to the dim light of the candles around this 'house' and I stared at the small group of people now looking at me.

_...Where do they come from? H-How did I get in there?! _

Like seriously, did I just get kidnapped? Is this the cult I was half-jokingly thinking owned the cave- Was I the sacrifice to some demonic God?

_**Hail Stalin!**_

The odd thing about this new and insane development was that they were all standing around me their eyes showing surprise and... happiness, as if my arrival had been half-planned but needed.

_**I ain't Batman, tho.**_

The unnerving silence was interrupted by something I was certainly not expecting, a proclamation that left me even more stomped, confused and immensely frowning at the matter.

"T-The Ritual was a success!" Some old man donning quite the 'I am a wizard' fashion exclaimed to the rest of the spectators. "We got the King that was promised to us, the one that shall head us against the Germanic invaders!"

The old man that gave this strange speech looked incredibly sure of what he had just said and the others started to murmur to each other, looking as if they had been aware of whatever madness he was sprouting about.

As the greatest of the heroes to come in this dark age, I started my reign with the most logical reaction to this kind of predicaments. Something that couldn't exactly be considered

"Now that you are here, Your Majesty, you might need to- Y-Your Majesty!"

Facing the possibility of being in an even more hostile habitat because of weird circumstances and the sudden transportation, my brain decided to launch the operation 'Tactical Faint' and I went for some immediate rest, away from the crazies and the insane ones.

Maybe this was actually a dream, thus the sudden faint to dismiss this absurd scene…

_**But boy was I wrong. From there my real adventure in quite the familiar but so-different world begins.**_

* * *

**AN**

**Settings:**** FSN Medieval Age, Self-Insert, lots of tactical madness and some focus on magic-technology.**

**I still remember when I first started to write the first draft of this story. I had been so nervous and so uneasy about trying my hand at this, especially with the rogue days I was dealing with.**

**But now that I'm more accustomed to writing lengthier chapter, I can say for sure that one of my minor priorities is coming true.**

**After some heavy pondering, I'm indeed thinking of going for some rewriting for some of my older stories.**

'**Tale of Two Kings', the original draft in FF, will be the first one to enjoy some improvement and expansion.**

**Next is 'Zero Chances to Heaven', which I plan to give some more accurate tones to not make the MC sounds so Gary-Stueish (I really wasn't minding those details back then, what an embarrassing flaw of mine!).**

**Finally I think I will work on 'Aegean Holidays' to make it a little more… realistically-paced. Some of the readers of the story might think that I'm thinking of a complete rework, but I only plan to bring some grammar polishing, some expansion of the chapters and maybe some more chapters in between those already available.**

**Also lots of omakes. FGO is still a focus for those mini-stories.**

**Without further ado, I will say that this story will replace 'Aegean Holidays' in the schedule until we reach the conclusion of both this and 'Zero Chances to Heaven'. I know, it's a long time, but it is a certain time. No more avoiding the problem, I shall strike to make it a better story, for loyal readers!**

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**k o-fi . com (slash) justbukharin**


	2. To be a King (1)

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**F/SN, F/Z, F/KPI and other products related to the Fate Series are all owned by TYPE-MOON, Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 1****: To be a King (1)**

* * *

After being dragged to deal with quite the interesting dream about killer robots and femme fatales, I started to slowly wake up, refreshed and all from what seemed to have been one of the longest slumbers I've ever had to deal with.

As my eyes opened at the annoying sunlight reaching from the windows by the room's left side, the first thing I ended up noticing in what was supposed to be my bedroom… was the distinct lack of my alarm clock and the comics I had started to hoard and keep by the empty section of my bedside.

Actually, there was no bedside to begin with, only some wooden furniture that barely resembled it.

My eyes closed again, I took a deep breath as I tried to recollect the few hours before engaging in a deep nap, my brain burning for the sake of getting some proper answers to what had been quite the odd awakening.

But while I had been initially interested in getting all the facts straight, the more memories returned the more I felt myself pale at the slow realization that something had indeed happened.

_**Oh my God, I am the victim of a kidnapping of the dimensional kind!**_

This presumptuous claim wasn't born out of delusional panic induced by this incredibly 'old-style' room where I just woke up into, but rather it was something that started to become more and more concrete the more I studied the pre-nap case.

There had been people, men and women all donning robes and dresses that were so antiquate that not those weren't even worth of wearing even by those loving the old medieval style.

I mean, how many could seriously love having clothes with some of the most unpleasant kind of fabrics in this time period?

Not many sane individuals- and that is why, considering the fact that there had been this mystical old man that had so happily pleaded guilty of committing such kidnapping of the absurd kind for-

Saving a kingdom… from Germanic Invaders.

A kingdom that was close to fall to this kind of threat- _where I was currently being hold onto._

I should be panicking, I should be hyperventilating and trying to get out of there before serious war crimes happened in my general proximity.

_**There was no Geneva Convention!**_

Yep, stuff had indeed escalated from a mere walk to a '_**Jesus Christ, take the wheel!**_' kind of issue.

And worst thing possible? I was mostly unsure of what to do.

Running away? I would have to deal with the slim chances of being a 'low-born' wandering around in bandits-filled lands and some other crazies lurking the woods.

Staying? Was this even a choice to begin with if it was the only viable option for me to pick.

My hands reached for my face and I let out the greatest of groans before I settled down and started to slowly rationalize everything.

First thing first, I was alive and… considered something of a nobility until I kept within… here.

What is 'here' and where it was specifically?

England was massive, but if I have to take a wild hunch, I would say that we are by the Wessex Region, the area which suffered the most the Germanic Invasions.

With my brain finally picking up the pace after the few moments of horrible panicking, I began analyzing the room I had just woke up into once again and I started to take note of the various elements present there.

The pieces of wood were a stark contrast to the entire stone-like structure this room was built with and it was quite the proof that I was in some-sort of luxury room within this castle.

This building- it had to be a castle. There was no way for any medieval civilization to create this kind of massive room if it wasn't installed in a castle.

Okay, I was making progress. Little progress, but enough to drive me to consider what I should do right now.

I was still clothed with my old stuff, nothing had been touched, except for the bag that was now sitting by the edge of the big bed in which I woke up into.

My first intention was pretty legitimate as I started to rapidly make a list of what I had in there.

Considering that I had planned for a little excursion, I was grimacing at how little I had on me.

My phone charger was useless, it wasn't any of the solar-powered ones that were starting to make an appearance to the market and I certainly didn't felt a need to buy one of those for the sake of a simple trip in the woods.

There were some toasts with ham and mayo, nothing that was meant to consume this early in the morning, and I could see that my water bottle was half-full, about 75% filled with some mineral water.

Pity that I hadn't packed Pepsi-

_**Oh God, there is no Pepsi in medieval times!**_

Groaning again and mourning the loss of what made me the most excellente Soda Fiend, I decided to drown my sorrow in what looked to be a little booklet that I had picked up from one of the various stores I had visited during my visit in some random villages nearby London.

Something that was written for tourists and thus lacked any of the 'boring' but now incredibly important information that I really needed to make use of if I wanted to survive this invasion.

_**But then again, am I in the wrong side of History right now?**_

Considering that I had to fully stop the invasions of the Germanic Invasions, thus repel the Angle and the Saxons (which would then become the backbone of the culture before the consolidation of the English tradition), maybe also the Jutes and other pseudo-vikings trying to raze and pillage cities left and right.

Morality would want me to stand aside and let this black mark in human history unfold but…

_**Since when morality beats sense of self-preservation?**_

I wasn't certainly going to give up my survival just because I didn't want to manipulate history- but then again why wouldn't I want to change stuff for good?

Butterfly effect aside, a massive and dangerous thing to do if I thought of the ramifications my actions might create after around a thousand years from now, I needed to seriously plan out something and-

My mind paused abruptly right as I caught some knocking originating from the lone door of the room.

Eyes turning to glance at it, I had just enough time to get up from the bed before replying.

"C-Come in."

Of course I would be stuttering, I chided myself with an inner face-palm.

The door opened to reveal the very elder that had been responsible for my current whereabouts, the old fossil looking fairly tired but nonetheless happy to see me well and healthy.

Donning some light-gray robes with hood included and wielding some long staff that arched with a light-blue sphere on top of it, I was half-tempted to address him as Gandalf, but I was quite surprised to find out that the first guy I had to receive was the one that caused my current presence here in this disastrous scenario.

I blinked and this little moment of silence from my part was taken as some permission to speak.

"I see that you are finally awake, milord," He greeted with a slow nod of his head, his smile widening just a little as he took a few steps towards me and then he stopped. "Good to see that you have recovered from that sudden faint, we thought that-"

I held my hands up as to gesture him to stop for a moment. "Quick question, shouldn't you be introducing yourself?" I asked with an unsure tone. "I mean, I would like to know who I'm talking with as… from my understanding there is this massive issue in the form of some invasion-"

"O-Oh," He seemed mortified by the point I was bringing up and he… _tried to slowly kneel before me_, forcing me to gesture nervously at that.

"Look there is no need to kneel or anything like that, there is no mistake in being forgetful once or twice in a while," I spoke once more, drawing some more surprise from the elder.

Said surprise morphed in awe as the gray-bearded man gave a quick nod.

"U-Understood, milord," He said with a brief hint of shock. "My name is Altuos and I'm the Chief of the Magus Guild here in Londinium."

He gave another bow with his head, yet my attention was drawn away from his name, which didn't ring any major bells in my head, but the two other elements did highlight two important bits.

Starting from the detail that I was most aware of, I could say that the situation is actually bad but not as worse as I had expected it to be for numerous reasons.

Londinium was the name of the old settlement before the conception of the proper city of London, it was an urban area that still flaunted some strong fortifications from the former Roman castrum which was fairly advanced compared to some of the early medieval complexes.

The big issue? Depending on the century I was yanked into, this city was either starting its decline or already hemorrhaging people, resources and capable soldiers because of the growing troubles rising on the island.

So, instead of playing the long guessing game, I decided.

"Altuos, I know it might sounds… curious to ask, but can you please remind me which year of the Lord are we living?"

He blinked, his surprise resurfacing but less than before as he merely gave a quick answer.

"It's the Year 453 of Our Lord, your majesty," The elder announced with a solemn voice, which I replied with a quiet hum as I found myself drawn back to my mind as-

_**I AM FUCKED!**_

The Fifth Century was supposed to be the period where Londinium would first be abandoned by its first settlers, either slaughtered by the now-approaching Germanic troops or forced to leave the city before the major battle would occur.

I restrained myself to let out a major swear word as I felt my brain trying to remind me something important.

This is like Crusader Kings 2, except instead of having to develop my military technology to develop tactics that could or not influence the battlefield, I was beginning with all the kind of proper strategies that could work in this Era.

Was I thinking of having an invincible army? Not yet, but I had plenty of opportunities if I knew a little more about the current state of the troops I had at my disposal.

But since I was perfectly aware that I would have just a handful of barely-trained peasants with some hunters in between their ranks, I was quite sure that 'fair battles' weren't going to do anything good for me.

I glanced at the elder and then I nodded. "So, I suppose that there is someone in command of the local troops and that this person might be needing my lead since we have an imminent invasion coming by."

"Commander Marcus Ambrosius is currently planning how to deal with the scout parties of the main force marching towards us," He mentioned as he starting to lead me out of the room and I walked beside him. "He will give you a better insight over the proper situation… I'm not much prepared in detailing the various elements that are required by this particular subject."

"Interesting and thank you for the exhaustive explanation, Altuos," I complimented kindly before actually shifting my attention to the second issue that I was completely caught me off-guard. "By the way, what is a 'Magus' and what does your guild specialize in?"

* * *

Magic exists- No, _something similar to magic exists._

While magic itself was still a variable within the world, the most common predicament was what many had described as magecraft.

To say that I was immensely confused when my history mindset was shattered by the introduction of supernatural elements would be a massive understatement.

Altuos was blissfully unaware of the thoughts I was having over this kind of crazy subjects, which for some reason did make some sense when he started to apply some of the examples proposed by his guild.

Magecraft was a mix of magic and science, but it was strictly attached to the application of simple rational laws which weren't truly known to the folks studying in this era.

Many still confused it with real magic as it did create some awe-striking phenomenon that many were incapable of replicating via mundane means… or at least until someone decides to bring in some modern science.

And yes, it would be incredibly fascinating if said 'someone' bore my own name and had the same inner smug smirk that I had at the thought that there was something like magic- _similar to magic._

Drat, I had to get a gist over the true meaning of magecraft before I begin making some silly assumptions with the wrong people.

The walk to reach the local barracks gave me a full glimpse of what I was supposed to the defend, with some peasants having already taken refuge within the little city inside the protective walls offered by the former Roman Castrum.

There were some children rushing by the sides of the main to look at the new king while I was following the old 'wizard' right to where the commander of the garrison had set up his tent and was currently planning everything about the defence.

I merely glanced at them, feeling fairly unsure over the immense pressure I had to face as there were other people that were stopping along the way to kneel, to bow, to show respect and… their willingness to put forward their hopes to me.

I had to put some effort to hold myself from flinching at what looked to be a parade of sort when I was actually visiting where the military planning was happening.

The only moment of relief from this unpleasant circumstance was right when I encountered the one man leading the little army that was supposed to defend the city.

Marcus Ambrosius was donning was seemed to be a mix of Celtic and Roman armor, several elements drawing mostly from the latter but I could also see some green decorations giving more details to his equipment.

_**Wait, does that mean that I had been talking with people in Celtic or in Latin?**_

The blond-haired man was looking at what looked to be a very old map, the best that this era could afford in terms of military planning and I was given another taste of how things were going to be from now on. He didn't seem too old, but he did look to have quite the experience from the highly-inquisitive glance he was giving me.

He was studying me from the very moment that I stepped inside his tent, giving me a certain sense of discomfort at being at someone clearly battle-hardened.

"Commander Marcus Ambrosius," The old man greeted with a polite tone, getting a nod in return from the soldier.

"Chief Altuos, I see that you have brought to me our new _king_."

Fuck, he is already trying to test me? I guess I should have expected this because of the issue at hand.

"You may refer to me when speaking, I'm not some shadow," I pointed out with a stern tone, holding back some edge from making it appear that I was trying to antagonize him.

"Yet you appear from some unknown places since you weren't there until yesterday," He shot back with a certain rough voice. "But please, do tell me what do you think-"

"There is a horde of monsters preparing to assault us, that there is for now a small group of scouts taking notes over the area where the fight is going to happen, the state of the walls and… the prospect of gains in the raids that would ensue in our possible loss," I interjected with a cynical perspective. "We are dealing with people that are driven by gold and lust of sin, people that can barely resemble civil human beings with what they are trying to achieve with such a mindset."

He seemed intrigued by my lengthy comment. "Sounds like you are aware of what these real barbarians are, kingly!"

"That shouldn't be a question, _Commander_," I dismissed with a sigh, trying my best to keep up with the battle of minds. Thank God that he wasn't getting more physical about this. "But I think we should direct our attentions to the issue itself, the scouts need to die before they can make a safe journey back to their tribes."

"And happily enrage our arrogant foes?" He asked with a hint of irritation, something I had predicted by the very blunt attempt I wanted to execute.

"No," I replied more than happily. "I want to blind them and reduce their chances in gaining some advantage in fighting against our troops."

I turned my attention to the map and I circled around right where the little drawings of trees were.

"We have forests, we have uneven terrain that our soldiers are experienced to wander around and maneuver properly," I continued to explain, this time imagining what could have driven the Germanic tribes to assemble this little recon party. "They know this and they had to recruit some of the disgruntled men living here to aid some of their veteran spotters in tracking down every single flaw in our city's fortifications."

"But wouldn't attacking their group cause our current garrison to weaken even more?" Altuos commented with some fascination over the matter.

"It would be the case- yet I suspect kingly has already a solution to this." The military-man snorted while shaking his head.

"C-Commander, have at least some respect for King-"

"Altuos, it's fine," I intervened quickly, turning my attention right at the blond. "I don't want to send just a number of people, I want to send only those that have experience in tracking and hunting animals."

"B-But why?" The elder questioned with some confusion over my logic, to which I gave a grave sigh about.

"When you assemble these man, Commander, I want you to tell them about the horrors that will occur if they fail to accomplish a perfect victory," I spoke with a quiet tone while referring to the soldier. "I want you to spare not a single restraint in detailing the atrocities that will happen the moment we lose even part of our lands to them, what will happen to their families, to their homes and… to their children."

There was a pause, then the blond smiled. "You wish them to truly hate the gutters of those filthy animals, don't you?"

"M-Milord, I don't understand what would you gain by giving such a terrifying recounting to the men defending this city when-"

"We are outnumbered, we have less than half that what the invaders can muster and we can't play 'fair' with them," I interrupted with a dismayed sigh. "While I understand your concern over the devious nature of this endeavor, I wish to also remind you that we can't just allow any reprieve to our aggressors. The moment they believe that we are vulnerable will be the moment were everything will be lost."

Another pause, this one longer than before as the old man seemed ot think about this while the blond merely hum.

"I hope there is more about that, we can't just play some minor ambushes and hope to destroy them little by little."

I shook my head. "I have some ideas, but for now we will focus on dealing with the recon units."

"I see," The commander nodded at my cryptic tone. "I will have the proper group sent before nightfall to intercept the scouts before they get too close."

I nodded back and decided that this was enough for now, saluting Marcus as I started to retreat with Altuos on tow.

There was some silence on the way back to the castle section, just enough for me to find myself away from the various witnesses in the forms of worried nobles and patrolling ward so that I could-

"This is… incredibly complicated," I commented while taking a pause by leaning by one of the walls, glancing at the quiet 'wizard'. "Do you think I was too excessive with these orders?"

The elder frowned at my words and I explained a little more.

"I wish to hear a proper judgment of what I did was correct or-"

"Considering the instance we are facing, I wouldn't lament too much that you wish for this kingdom to survive… but I hope that this isn't the sign of a tyrant in the making when some peace will reach our lands."

Oddly enough, I had expected this genuine chiding but I nodded.

"I'm taking some drastic precautions for the unfair situation we are facing," I muttered quietly. "Hopefully, things will stabilize soon enough to allow to repel the tribes from the beaches."

"It's our best hope," Altuos agreed with a small sigh, before giving me a long but deep look as if trying to understand… something about my face? No, it was… something else.

But what could have gotten his attention when-

"Milord, I think it would be good for you if you weren't to deal with the court, at least not in this state of mind," He suddenly suggested, catching my curiosity almost immediately. "I think it would be best if you spent some time thinking by the gardens, I will see to delay the encounter with the various guilds' representations for just a single day."

I was… surprised by this suggestion.

I had expected to face the royal court quite soon, especially with how much of an impact the invasion was surely slamming onto the various activities and works of this age and time, but to be offered some more time to think?

Maybe… it wouldn't be wrong for me to take some moments to taken in the fact I had just given my first serious orders as a monarch.

This was my first step, a bloody one to be truthful, but not one born from malicious intent.

Hopefully.

"I think I will accept this kind offer, Altuos."

"It's not kindness when your highness truly needs some proper time to recover with quite the important decision," He commented almost quickly. "And before you doubt yourself further, I can assure you that this unorthodox thought of yours isn't as harsh as you might expect it… considering the unpleasant alternative we currently have."

I nodded and, after some time enjoying the inner courtyard and the small garden installed in it, I managed to get some rest by the time the final report reached back home.

A quick letter, but one that portrayed a great success as the enemy force had been slaughtered by the punitive expedition… in quite the vengeful manners.

There had been no mercy, just like I had expected for those hunters to accomplish when pitted against the ugly face of the reality we were going to suffer rather soon.

I found some peace in my slumber, but I did found myself questioning the chances of the success behind this major campaign.

_**And so the first step for King Joseph's reign has been made… a bloody one for sure, but one that will pale before the future prophesied for such a doubtful ruler.**_

* * *

**AN**

**All hail King… Jojo? Nonononono! We can't have that. I've already two JoJo stories out and the name is actually conceived before I had the glorious opportunity to watch the series. I remember throwing the first name that came to my mind and… I went along with it.**

**And yes, this chapter highlights how much things are going to change compared to the first draft. Nothing will be too easy, every decision has a backlash of sort in the form of either losing men, resources or displaying dark parts of the MC's mindset.**

**Morality against Logic.**

**Lastly, the first lines of the chapter are actually a curious hint to another story that I would end up writing after concluding this one. I think some might recognize it for two specific words.**

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**k o-fi . com (slash) justbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**00Malware00****: I will probably do Omakes for all the three stories.**

**DivineWhiskey****: Just SI/OCI.**

**Ascandas****: I don't know about the sword, but I sure have a little more depth planned for Morgan. (But I think the urge is more about the fact that Artoria will be an 'enemy'.)**

**Takamishin****: It's been a while! Your words means a lot, like really it makes writing this chapters even better than mere passion. This time, no gary stu elements have been planned. This time the MC will sweat it alright for his happy ending.**


	3. To be a King (2)

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**F/SN, F/Z, F/KPI and other products related to the Fate Series are all owned by TYPE-MOON, Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 2****: To be a King (2)**

* * *

When morning struck again and I was greeted once more with the sight of my 'new bedroom', my lips parted to let out a miser groan about what was now my life and…

How screwed I was over the fact that I was dealing with a full-fledged barbaric invasion by being the ruler of the closest 'kingdom' to the main front against the Germanic Tribes.

It was not an immediate screwing, but a painful, lengthy one that would surely see me tortured and killed if I failed to play my card properly against the clearly-superior forces threatening my new fief, and all those living within my lands.

_**Pressure much?**_

I wasn't even contemplating what was going on inside and nearby the limits of Londinium, the massive chaos created by the unrelenting wave of brigands, murderers and other kind of scumbags that were currently disrupting the functionality of the kingdom that I was now leading.

While the main armies were still waiting around to consolidate to begin their major assaults, plus the time they would spend to march right where the castle was, I still had to deal with the few bastards that merely wanted to have their own solo 'adventure' around this 'nice land' ready to be plundered by their ambitious attempts.

Major roads were surely blocked as of now because of the dangerous presence of foreigners littering the forests that were setting up some malicious checkpoints and I had yet to verify if there were contacts between the main authority (ergo, Londinium) and the rest of the cities, minor castles and temples spread out in the general region that were supposed to swear support for me.

Not fealty, there had yet to develop a sense of feudalism within English aristocracy, the conception of a centralized and stable ranking system for the elite class ruling over the peasantry.

I was fairly sure that proposing such an initiative right now would only create to me even more issues than I wanted.

The system was flawed when it was conceived, spawned by the conflict between Church and State, and it was sure not going to work with how unsure the loyalties were until now.

I didn't need to find myself toppled by some band of nobles trying to impose another dictatorship because I granted them too much trust.

Everyone was nervous nowadays and I was quite sure that some proper attention was needed before granting some legitimization of their current holding.

Huffing and standing up from the bed, I decided to search around the room for any other objects that I might have missed the day before.

While I had been getting accustomed over the map of the castle that was now my property by wandering around the place after a nice rest by the inner courtyard, I hadn't been that much attentive over the things that were there in my bedroom.

Quietly humming and scanning around the various pieces of furniture that were there for me to look carefully into, I ended up finding some old tomes, a mix of old diaries with somewhat perfect English words and some tomes with easy-to-read titles.

It hadn't taken me much to realize that the summoning, the 'spell' that had taken me away from my lone trip in the woods and right into this big crisis I was supposed to solve, had also given me the ability to understand, read and speak fluently the Latin that was still being used by the people living by the castle-city.

A last sign of the Roman foothold over England, the city that was now supposed to represent the undefeated spirit of the newly-'freed' nation that I was now leading to success.

…

Hopefully it was success and not utter doom, the chances were still fairly low for a grand victory but…

_**Never say never~!**_

Gah, I regret _quoting that horrible piece_. I could have picked a better line instead of-

Oh?

My thoughts vanished just briefly as my full attention was grasped by the dark-blue robe that I had found by one of the dusty constructs of wood that I've been searching through until that moment of quiet.

Eyes glancing all over this tunic, I had my left hand caress around the gold-like lines that gave it quite the regal air and… I decided to try it out.

It was a slow process as I decided to wear the robe over my modern clothes, unwilling to part away from some of the few things that I had left of my previous life_** away from the current danger I had to face on my own… plus several hundred lance-wearing peasants.**_

The measures were mostly correct, the only issue being the length of the arms' sections that needed to be rolled up a little to not fully cover my hands, and I gave a glance at the full-body mirror set by one of the room's corner.

It was perfect. The visible jeans and shoes hid well with the dark-blueish color of the tunic, making those stand out just a little compared to the current clothes' trend.

As I started to ponder whatever or not should I have been focusing to make some better clothes for my subjects, starting to get irritated by the constant itching I felt by my exposed wrists, I tensed up as I heard someone knocking thrice by the door.

I eased a little as my mind brought back some logic about the possible individual standing behind the little barrier, knowing only one individual having gone out of his way to greet me earlier yesterday's morning.

"Come in," I allowed with a polite but loud-enough voice, the door opening mere moments later Altuos slowly entered inside, a patient smile on his face as he approached me.

"Your Majesty, I see that you are fully awake and..." He paused, his attention take by the dress I was wearing. "I see that you have found the robes designed for the former governors of the city."

I blinked at his words, glancing down at the tunic itself and… just now noticing the little SPQR symbol but the upper section of the chest.

"So this is something ceremonial, or it's just something that isn't used anymore?" I asked with a hint of curiosity, my mind lit at the fact I was wearing the former robes of a high-ranking role within the now mostly-defunct Roman Empire.

"The previous governor, the one that assumed control merely a year ago before leaving three weeks ago, didn't get the time to don such a regal outfit," Altuos replied with a calm hum. "He was constantly moving around the territory to keep people loyal to Londinium but… ultimately he was forced to leave when the province of Gallia collapsed to the various factions in the region."

If I remember correctly, the lands where modern France would exist were split between the Roman Soissons, the Visigoths and the tribes of the Franks. Thus the Roman influence was already waning swiftly away from their previous strongholds.

England was a particular case as the tribes from the north, those that were born from the fragmented Picts, weren't able to sustain a full offensive to vanquish the Latin presence in proper England and Wales.

Yet there was already a rebellious kingdom in the form of Dumnonia and, considering the age and time, I was quite sure that this new nation had already switched from Chalcedonian to the old pagan religions lingering within the Welsh/Cornish people, only to fall in some minor civil war between Christians and pagans.

If I remember correctly, around this period a certain King Arthur was supposedly was supposed to be waging war as one of the contenders to take over the throne of his dead father, Uther Pendragon, after spending years training either in some unknown village in Cornwall or after making some experience in battles against the tribal invasions in France.

The stories and the authenticity of the legendary figure were shrouded in mystery.

Some would confirm his existence, others would dismiss it as different important characters that had names similar to the one bestowed to the holder of Caliburn.

_**Maybe I will give it a proper look about his possible whereabouts once I was done with, you know, the crazy bastards marching towards Londinium in the effort of burning it to the ground.**_

I nodded at Altuos. "I suppose I can use to make my introduction to the court," I muttered quietly, gaining another nod from the elder as he started to led me out of my room and right towards where the throne room was.

The walk was particularly brief, the important area of the castle being fairly close to where my bedroom was and… I was introduced to a modestly-sized but still humonguous room.

It wasn't an Imperial Throne Room, but considering that this was created from the place where Governors would address the issues present in this former Roman land, I could see it as a well-prepared place where to hold debates and conversations.

And boy, did I plan to hold quite the debates and conversations in this pretty room for the sake of survival, betterment and… survival.

_**Did I say survival?**_

The vast space allowed by the setting permitted the presence of a noticeable group of people already standing near where the throne was.

From their clothes I could recognize some of the nobles present at my summoning, some looked to be wearing religious tunics.

I could also see Commander Marcus and some of his soldiers and some individuals donning light-gray cloaks with some peculiar items. One was wearing several jeweled necklaces at once while another was donning what seemed to be… some iron knuckles?

From seeing this particular group wearing clothes similar to Altuos, it was simple to deduce that they were possibly a part of the same guild. They were those adept with the pseudo-magic the elder had displayed back when I doubted the truth in his words yesterday.

Still, wasn't this a bit too early for thugs to be using magic for doing crazy stuff? What's next, some hypocrite?

Just as this thought ran through my brain, I was forced to stop my approach directed at the chair designated to be used solely by me because an unfamiliar old man wearing some well-decorated white robes and some 'tall' hat paced calmly right towards me.

"I assume you are King Joseph, the magnanimous ruler that Our Lord bestowed to us," He spouted out with a somewhat familiar tone of spiritual elevation. The preachy kind.

Be bowed just a little, some other men rushing to follow his same example, they were wearing white clothes just like the leader himself and… I hummed.

"May I ask your name?" I questioned bluntly, holding back just enough to not sound _overly_-annoyed by this sudden interaction. "You know my name, yet I don't know yours."

He tensed just a little, yet his 'so-devoted' expression barely twitched at the insolent tone I had taken to regard him.

"Felicianus of Dubris, Bishop of Londinium, and sole holder of the Church representation here in this island," He bowed a little more, head leaning forward. "Apologies if I introduced myself with far too much vigor… it was the joy of seeing you, the true proof of Our Lord's mercy upon us in these dire times."

The nobles started to whisper with each other, fascinated by this new claim over my presence here, clashing with the one presented by Altuos. In fact, I could see the hooded members of the Magus Guild tensing up and showing some irritation at the attempt to slander their efforts, an attempt that I didn't plan to see completely unfold like this.

"I suppose you could consider my presence a divine blessing," I started subtly, trying to come up with the best way to counter the little clout he had over the aristocracy.

The Church had yet to enforce its domination upon Kings and the not-yet created Holy Roman Empire in this century, and their influence was still strong enough to be problematic if not handled with a certain… 'attention'.

"But it would be incorrect to confuse Our Lord's intervention as a direct and immediate miracle," I continued with a certain tone, my eyes fixed on the confused expression on the bishop's face. "While the will was of God Almighty, a mortal hand was the direct responsible for such an event. Just like Jesus was a representation of the Lord's interest upon His subjects, so the Magus Guild acted upon the same reasoning."

His eyes widened in shock, the holy man was certainly unprepared to deal with someone that had this much preparation about the bible itself.

Catechism did leave me a certain cultural knowledge over some aspects of Christianity, some of those were even expanded upon when I ended up reading some of the books attached to the Divine and the Holy.

I wasn't supposed to gloat this early on as the discussion was far from over, yet I couldn't help but grin in my thoughts at the fact I shattered the initial perception this jerk had over me.

Since many heirs to aristocracy were taught by priests over the importance of 'some' of the bible's precepts and I hadn't been 'born' in that role, I would consider a possibility that Felicianus had thought me to be a mere fool that he could have manipulated so quickly and so brazenly.

Maybe it had been fear at the idea that Altuos had been around me since I had woken up yesterday, 'possibly giving me the wrong ideas over the Church', or maybe there was some stupid panic at the chances of having gotten a heretical king from this circumstance.

Catholicism had yet to fully manifest and many heresies like Nestorian and Arianism were plaguing the war-torn areas of Europe while Christianity battled against the Barbaric tribes and other pagan religions hailing from the east.

"B-But they are not devoted believers," The old priest rebuked quietly, trying to keep reason as his main argument. "Their mission wasn't one ordained from God-"

"Does God seriously need to speak to people to put them in charge of a heavenly duty?" I said with a tighter voice. "Did God have to truly enforce His might upon the Jews when they started to worship other deities? Didn't He Himself demand their submission with his first words proclaimed upon the Holy Covenant?"

His eyes were now wide-open, shock filling him as I had gotten him well-enough surprised over my grasp over the History of the Old Testament.

I had him right where I wanted him, the mood and the awe just what I needed to commit myself to quite the risky speech.

"The Lord himself promised love with the birth of Jesus Christ, the son of two humble believers, and proof that a good life can be made without the need of sinful means," I explained with some resolution in my voice. "While the Magus Guild isn't a completely loyal to God, their virtues within their mortality make them worthy enough of being our brothers in soul and in true times of need."

"Y-yet they don't believe-"

"God's mercy is eternal, while He might found doubtful the state of their devotion, He Himself wouldn't deny the fact that their mission is just like any faithful Christian's," I proclaimed with a determined smile. "An endless war against the Wicked One and those that stand by his sinful ways. The infidels that are currently marching towards Londinium, ready to commit the most heinous atrocities that a good man could ever consider for the sake of honor and elation at the possibility."

He seemed to realize what I was talking about, just what I needed from him in this moment. Faith was a double-edged weapon, especially in times of war and suffering.

When a man or a woman are left before an inevitable disaster coming towards them, their only certainty is faith in someone. Someone above and beyond their comprehension, that would never betray them or bring them any wrongful judgment.

"T-The infidels- T-The invaders!" He exclaimed in dread. "They represent Hell's own destructive ambitions!"

I smiled at the heated reply and I nodded. "Indeed, they are trying to subvert what is right and good, what is holy and divine."

"This is… why the Magus Guild will make sure to cooperate with King Joseph," Altuos interjected with a calm voice, drawing the attention of the bishop upon himself. "Even though animosity was the sole emotion that we shared until now, I wish to make sure that the innocents and the weak are protected by the onslaught approaching."

Felicianus blinked, his lips parted but no response coming at first as he seemed fixed in time, stuck in a moment of immense doubt and thought.

"God is our father… our merciful creator and the one that is the final judgment of our sins or misled faiths," The bishop slowly spoke. "He is caring, but stern. He is loving but also righteous and I think His Will in this specific circumstance is to make peace with the misguided fools of the Magus Guild."

I was a little surprised by his hesitation and quick jabs at the 'rival group' to the Church, but I still nodded.

"United we shall stand against the wave of evil," I preached with a determined tone. "But if we stay divided, we shall fall before the carnage."

The two elders nodded at each other and I was finally allowed to take a seat by the little throne deeper in that room.

Everyone slowly started to kneel before me while Felicianus and Altuos kept standing up.

"All praise King Joseph, first of his name, and true ruler of Britannia, the home of the Holy, of the Just and of the Merciful," The bishop introduced solemnly.

"May his reign be long and prosperous, filled with joy and victory, of glorious feats and betterment!"

Wait, does that mean that my dynastic name is-

"_**Long Live King Joseph of Britannia, true King of the Isle.**_"

The collective response got me impressed, awed and… quite nervous over this new step I just made.

It was another tentative one, this time it was careful manipulation that got me to sit in a stabler seat of power instead of dealing with inner dissent so early on in my reign.

I sighed, giving a polite smile at those still kneeling and I nodded. "You may stand and… we may begin the first session of Court… starting with the provisions required for the defenses-"

* * *

"That was quite the impressive speech, kingly," Marcus Ambrosius giddily proclaimed as he took a seat in the lone chair in his tent, staring at me as I glanced at him with some impatience. "Almost got me to shed a tear of absolute loyalty… yet it takes more than just some sweet-talking to prove your worth as the liege of this once-glorious city."

His words left me confused and the fact my brain was still recovering from the three-hour long court session I had to deal with just a while ago.

I wasn't certainly up to face any annoying deflection over the subject that brought me here instead of butting heads with the paperwork I was supposed to sign about by now.

_**Thank God, Altuos had decided to pick some of the less important topics to deal himself...**_

"I thought this was meant to be a training session," I bluntly interjected, my eyes narrowing at his shit-eating grin. "You said that-"

"This is in fact going to be the true proof of your words, of your valor as a conqueror and as a protector," He interrupted eagerly, almost snarling in preparation at whatever he had planned for me. "The first lesson will in fact be… to fetch yourself a sword."

...What?

"The first lesson is… to-"

"Fetch a sword, yes. There is no need to repeat what I just said, kingly."

My irritation bubbled even more at the cockiness I was facing against. "But isn't that too easy?"

His grin didn't falter. "If it is, then why are you here gawking like a brat that just crapped himself?"

I didn't comment at that insult, understanding that words wouldn't matter in this circumstance and I indeed started to search for a sword, starting right from the tent.

I could remember seeing some weapons stacked by a box nearby the entrance the day before, thus my stare turned right into a… now empty wooden box.

A blink, then I was walking out of that tent silently, not even showing any respect to bid a goodbye the still-smiling bastard as I paced towards the nearby barracks.

The building was mostly empty, the troops were currently training on another section of the city and thus leaving me free to raid the place for any sword left forgotten on purpose or by mistake.

I found not a single weapon. There wasn't even a single dagger left around the place and-

I blinked again as I left the building after ten full minutes of thorough searching in the various rooms assigned to the soldiers and a strong suspect had started to insinuate itself in my mind.

The task would have been easy to complete if it had been done in a normal situation, yet there was a strong possibility that Marcus had wittingly made sure to leave not a single sword for me to find in the normal places within the city.

He had wanted me to suffer for the rest of the day before giving me a true chance to train and get strong.

Now that magic was a variable, training on a personal level was a must both in terms of physical and magical defence.

The world was crazier than I thought back in Medieval Ages and only God knew what kind of threats I would end up facing in this predicament.

Vortigern, Morgana, Mordred and other villains that could easily tear me apart without some proper understanding of magic and swordsmanship.

Altuos had already promised some theoretical lectures before introducing me to some practical works and so I was left to deal with the 'mundane' aspect of my planned training which was the one proposed by the cheeky bastard of a commander that was Marcus.

Seconds of silence passed and I was left wandering the partially-crowded mud roads within the castle-city, ignoring the stares I was getting from the people in my proximity as my target was-

"Waaah!" "No more!" "You are so strong!"

"Stop, you evil Romans!" A child yelled at three fellow children running away from him, the young boy holding a poor-quality wooden sword over his head while giving chase to his friends.

I stopped for a moment to stare at the scene unfolding before my eyes, confused at what was going on… until I heard the people around commenting about it.

"They are still playing at it? I thought the game was too hold for-"

"Some kinds need to show that they are brave," Someone interjected with a laid-back tone. "Let them play 'Nennius' as much as they want for."

"Perhaps you are right..."

At this point I had gone away from where these two fellows were as I rushed towards the gates of Londinium, an idea slowly bubbling up and providing me with a quick solution to solve this test without having to beg anyone for a sword.

Why would I forget about _that _detail about Londinium? How could I forget about that sword!?

Good questions that sadly were ignored out of mercy upon my wounded pride over my forgetfulness about something that was related to my historical and mythological knowledge.

My first objective was finding a shovel, something far easier than the mission imposed by Marcus as recovering one from one of the guards by the entrance, one of the few ones left in case of emergencies about the breaking of the gates.

The men stationed there were surprised by the request, but quick to offer me one as I started to dig right outside the city and in front of the gates, staring at the ground as I carefully attempted to find something important… and hopefully existing in this crazy place.

Twenty minutes of digging later, the resulting hole in the ground lacked the sword I was searching for.

Uneasiness swelled in my chest as I moved out of the newly-dig crater and went to replicate the same activity on a zone not too far away.

Three newer holes later, each making me lose some of my hopes of succeeding with my endeavors, I finally saw the results of my hardwork when I found a skeleton… an a sword embedded in its cranium.

And the blade was truly a beauty to look at, its decorations matching with its supposed potential hidden in its form.

The hilt of the sword was made with dark-blue metal that culminated on some blue pearl, the length formed by two alloys, an outer one of light-silver color and the inner one made of a golden-like section that contained some mysterious symbols engraved into it.

I lifted it up from the ground and out of pile of bones, the remain of the legendary Nennius of Britannia, the very man that stole the very sword of Julius Caesar and used it to kill dozens of Romans in the losing battle of Trinovantum (what now was Londinium).

The first Briton that patriotically stood out for his bravery and willpower against and aggressor and… now I was going to make use of this blade to protect Britain from another invasion, this one bigger, more gruesome and hopefully one that would see the defeat of the Germanic horde.

"Hey, Kingly!" A certain infuriating bastard shrieked from the gates of the city, standing right beside… the noticeable crowd of people that has been created to look at the initially-odd behavior of mine.

I had seen someone standing and watching me suffering while digging in that scorching sun, but I had been so unaware of how big my 'audience' had gotten after so much time had passed since I started my 'fun hobby'.

"What is that?" The commander finally asked loudly enough for me to hear and… I grinned madly, lifting the sword up in the sky and showing its full glory to the cast of people.

_**You wanted some proof of my worth?**_

"People of Londinium, I present you with this legendary blade," I exclaimed loudly and with some dramatic tone to it, my grin almost getting me to break the solemn introduction. "Once owned by Julius Caesar, before becoming the sword used by Nennius of Britannia, I show you the Yellow Death, Crocea Mors."

If this had been a cartoon, the military leader that was now gawking at the greatest Roman artifact left in Britain would have had his jaws dropping at the floor, the rest of the crowd recognizing its worth only by mentioning the two legendary heroes that once used this still-pristine that was now mine to use.

I looked up at it, the sunlight making it glimmer and show more of its holy appearance, making me wonder how much of a sign this was for my successes.

Propaganda was one thing but…

_**Can it lead me to victory?**_

Once this very thought concluded, I noticed an odd glow within the sword, almost teasing me and _berating me_ from thinking that there was anything else but…

**Success.**

_**And as I made my way back to the gates of the city, the strings of destiny seemed to twist and change under the development I had just achieved, something that I would never know about… until the world started to roll brutally to fix such a change.**_

_**But who would win, an untrained boi with an aim-bot sword or a magically-enchanted cast of characters from the Arthurian Legends… and beyond?**_

* * *

**AN**

**Crocea Mors was allegedly buried with Nennius of Britannia from what Geoffrey of Monmouth in his Historia Regum Britanniae (The History of the Kings of Britain).**

**Also, Hail King JoJo of Britannia!**

**EDIT: Kudos for Ant0nius for pointing out the grammar mistakes that required some fixing. Chapter should be a little more easy to read.**

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**k o-fi . com (slash) justbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**DivineWhiskey****: Artoria has already recovered Caliburn and she should be seventeen by now as she is waging war against the opposing factions in her early kingdom, which many thinks was Dumnonia. Morgan will have a complicated depiction in this story as a difficult character, both in terms of alignment and true desires. And his magic will be developed, yes.**

**KillaBee****: The Fae will have a big role in the story; Alaya and Gaia will not make an appearance and irritate people around until much later in the story and… I can just say that I have a knight that might join Joseph, just not how many would expect them to.**

**Biloboo****: Just adding some realistic touch over the mindset of Joseph, maybe some medieval logic sprinkled in and… that's it. Also no Gary Stu this time around. And the pairing is… a secret but still harem.**

**Fenrir-kun****: It will be longer than 10 chapters and Mo-chan will have quite the amusing role in this story.**


	4. To be a King (3)

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**F/SN, F/Z, F/KPI and other products related to the Fate Series are all owned by TYPE-MOON, Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 3****: To be a King (3)**

* * *

I could easily remember the full extent of the legend behind Nennius of Britannia and the battle for Londinium.

The sheer brutality and combat prowess displayed by the heavily-wounded Briton after being defeated by Julius Caesar were nothing short of legendary.

The highly-detailed kill count after receiving that fatal injury to his head that was forwarded by Geoffrey of Monmouth made it clear that whatever had happened in that fight, it was somehow connected to the blade that was now mine to use.

Crocea Mors was… immensely powerful even after so many years of inactivity.

I remember that when Altuos first looked at it, he had almost vibrated at the chance of studying the peculiar sword, whispering furiously and swiftly over the various effects that the runes impressed upon the metal were giving to the renowned weapon.

All of it was the result of masterful work from the old Magecraft available only to the most powerful members of the Roman Empire, which became a lovely attachment to Caesar's innate capacity to win victory through his intelligence.

Yet what truly got me hooked over this lucky discovery was how it exactly worked and why I had to make sure that this sword would always remain under my control.

Once it had bonded with its wielder, Crocea Mors would give them the power to obtain victory upon close-ranged fights in any circumstance.

Yep, I was holding the first ever Aimbot ever created and I wasn't feeling even a glimpse of shame of keeping it around.

Of course I had to put it away while training with Marcus as we were both quick to notice that I couldn't just be beaten while I was holding the sword.

Not even in the unfairness of a 'one against four' spar I came ever close to face defeat against my opponent, surprising the soldiers that had been mustered for the task.

I was incredibly quick, my reaction time was absurdly synchronized with my pace and I could barely feel winded even after numerous spars of various difficulty.

It was good news because it offered me the edge over personal fights with any opponent but I was well-aware that trusting too much the blade for my successes would be a quick way to fall against some lucky opponent.

Caesar did lose it while battling against Nennius, but while the famous Roman general had plenty of experience to still be a skilled fighter without Crocea Mors, I was still someone that trusted his combat ability upon years spent playing videogames and playing with sticks back in my childhood.

Plus, a well-aimed arrow could easily kill me even while holding such a powerful artifact.

But I couldn't help but also worry about the fact that Excalibur was now a possibility since Crocea Mors was now there and I was frightened by the prospect of fighting the current holder of such blade, either King Arthur himself or one of the various people that 'shared' the name with him.

I mean, if Crocea Mors was this strong, God knows how much stronger Excalibur would be- and that is without considering other weapons like Caliburn, Caladbolg, Rhongomyniad, and Gae Bolg.

If these blades were actually lingering around… then things were surely going to become quite interesting if not panic-inducing for me.

The first spar without the weapon proved to be a good proof to solidify my worries over the matter, with the Commander steamrolling me without much effort.

My built was slim and with some signs of muscles in some places, but I wasn't still fit enough to manage myself into a fight.

Which was a big bad considering that this era saw more actions for kings and I was meant to lead charges into the enemy in case of serious 'fair' battles.

Honor was a thing, but not to the same degree known only to GoT's Starks, and I had to keep myself afloat in the continuous political challenge of my position with a mix of good words and proper successes under my belt.

Which is why training in both swordsmanship and magecraft proved to be the best choice of action for the time being as the preparation for my planned traps continued smoothly thanks to the help of some peasants loyal to the castle.

Felicianus had politely accepted the new burden I've decided to bestow to the priests working at the church, giving them the humble task of setting some rudimentary soup kitchens by some of the unoccupied buildings of the little city.

It had been quite awkward to explain what exactly a 'soup kitchen' was and why it was important to feed those that were now without work and home but the results were in fact showing in the form of the little engineer corps I've managed to create in so little time.

For now it was just a dozen of well-built men with some basic understanding of craftsmanship that would be used as the backbone for the main operation I had set to dispense before the arrival of the army of barbarians.

I had been informed during the training with Altuos about the theoretical understanding of the mystical arts he was teaching me that there was a high chance of 'shamans' following the main force to help with the siege.

Which is why, much to my initial displeasure, I couldn't make use of proper magecraft to set up some traps against the invading banner.

Still, I wasn't even close to see any major issues from this development as it proved that I had to focus myself into developing some hybrid technology that could best fit with the resources we had here in Londinium.

The creation of makeshift mines was a process that was elaborated by some Magus specializing in explosives, but to make it possible for those to not be detected, I had ordered for them to create a process that could work without the usage of magecraft itself.

The presence of various people on this project ended up seeing the problem solved mere hours after its conception.

The proper plans to prepare the explosives were given to the engineers assigned to create and set those mines in specific parts of the muddy paths that led to the fortress and in the forest sections nearby those.

They were accompanied by a small detachment of hunters that were there to sign down on some maps the various locations of the mines that had been deployed so that the removal of those once the hostilities were over and our situation had stabilized.

I couldn't just let Britain become Vietnam, even though I had a strong need to introduce 'Leeroy Jenkins' to the battle cries available to the soldiers.

For now I had managed to get 'Deus Vult' down, getting quite the praise from Felicianus at the mentioning of such thing.

But returning back to the subject about the mines, I have to make a clarification.

The traps were meant to debilitate and reduce the morale within the enemy force, enough to make it possible for our numerically inferior army to smash in their ranks and crack their hopes of victory by sheer panic and surprise.

Morale is the key of major victories, especially when our foes were the ones to be demoralized and drawn to a fickle resistance to our planned counter-attack.

And this is why Soup Kitchens were inherently important for this topic as those would offer our soldiers some means of having a pleasant stay within the castle even after the war was over.

Maybe even create the first professional army since I was still controlling a bunch of half-trained militias that weren't supposed to wage war beyond the current circumstances.

Yet the promise of reforms, of changes that would see them having to worry no longer over their means to rest or their needs of finding something good to eat would surely see something change about it all.

In conjunction to this there was a revival of devotion of the divine figure of God.

With the Church being the direct responsible for feeding so many poor people, many were already starting to feel more attached to their faith in Christianity and many were already dropping their doubts over reverting back to their pagan beliefs.

It was the beginning of my reign and, while I would have wanted to do much more than this in my third day, I knew that risking too much of the treasury would be fatal for the kingdom's economy.

We were working on some closed-circuited system that couldn't survive for long times and a serious victory to give us the opportunity of securing back the nearby villages was a must.

Once we were to reclaim control of those, the coin should start to roll far quicker than it is right now in its sluggish pace.

Major reforms so suddenly would only shake the boat until it flips back around… killing its occupants in the process.

I was preparing multiple plans that would have to be implemented gradually within my kingdom and boy I had some plans over what to do over it all with the beauty of what magecraft was.

Despite the fact it wasn't full-fledged magic and restrained by the laws of nature, these mystical arts were still something that could easily help to speed up the pace of progress for humanity if handled correctly and with some careful approach.

Heck, I wouldn't even dismiss the thoughts of bringing order in mainland Europe once things were properly stabilized in the British Isles, but that was already going to take a while with the various rulers, historical and mystical, still ruling in Scotland and Ireland.

It was easy to imagine the potential and the limits of such advancement, but for now my attention was directed to the invading raiders than to what I could do after beating them.

Which is why I had made sure to also start the construction of some proto-cannons to fix by the walls of the city to offer some artillery coverage for the approaching fight.

It was time to amp up the tune of war and bring in some new instruments of the overture in the battlefield.

Marcus was quite fascinated by what I had defined as the combination of a ballista's direct and precise firing and the firepower available only to a catapult, even asking to 'try out this new toy'.

There were some fires that needed to be dealt with in the last twelve hours, but I've to admit I've never seen someone so battle-hardened look as giddy as a child while shooting his newest weapon.

With the army under Londinium's control almost doubling with the integration of the poor men that had decided to join for the 'glorious last stand to protect the land of God', I was quite sure that a victory against the invading force would be quick to achieve if there weren't any issues happening in the mean time.

But of course, just like it was usual when people were prone to think about this simple sentence in their highest peak of success, something did have to happen to either foil their plan or to introduce something far worse than planned and… I'm quite unsure about what had happened back then.

It all began by the end of lunch and I could remember making my way right to my bedroom to change up with some clothes that best fitted with the training session I had planned to go through with Marcus.

Altuos hadn't been present during the official lunch for important reasons, to which I merely didn't give too much weight about.

He might be my advisor and closest supporter, but he was still the leader of an entire guild and for that he had all the rights to take an absence to deal with whatever situation was going on with his group.

Walking alone in the quiet halls of the castle, I was given some time to prepare for what was going to be another brutal session of trying to get the whole 'dodging' gig going with four guys attacking me at the same time.

That wasn't just realistic! Not even in Dark Soul that was a skill that one could just learn, only luck and RNG playing best for that kind of shenanigans.

Still, the Commander firmly believed in my capacity of pulling that stuff off after some serious efforts and… I was quite sure that the real reason was to see me getting my ass handled easily by his own apprentices.

They were good people that were meaning well with their help, but they weren't sparing me anything during the training sessions, not even a moment to recover from any unplanned trip face-first to the floor.

Groaning quietly at this very thought, I felt myself tensing up and stopping in my steps as I heard some growing noises starting to come right by… the corner of this corridor.

Just as I proceeded to take some cautious steps to try and see what was going on with the distinct sounds that seemed to have been taken by some magic fight from a movie, I saw a cloaked figure set flying towards the wall, only for a bubble-like blue barrier to form around his body and reducing the damage to a minimum.

My eyes widened in shock as I recognized who was I looking at, dread surging as it seemed to be a clear attack to the castle.

Altuos was lying his back on the cold ground as blood slowly pouring from his lips but his half-focused eyes were directed at the responsible for such an attack.

"Y-You will n-not-"

"Spare yourself the unnecessary breathing, Altuos," A suave feminine voice interceded smoothly. "You know well enoughthat you can spare yourself this pain if you relinquish the tome detailing the summoning spell."

Loud steps started to draw closer and soon my sight was over it.

I saw a particularly tall behemoth cover my eyes with its large frame from seeing the owner of the heavenly voice that was responsible for the assault on the elder.

The being was wearing a knight-like armor that had a helmet that perfectly covered their identity with how few openings there were on it.

A shining white blade was on his right hand, while the other palm was busy holding a silver shield with a crow-like insigna onto it.

Before I could have said anything about it, I noticed the armored figure now looking at me with utmost attention, taking a few steps towards me and prompting me to unsheathe Crocea Mors in preparation for an attack.

A quick hum originated from behind it. "It would seem like we have an unexpected guest to our little reunion, I suppose we will have to first deal with him."

As those words concluded, the knight-like titan rushed to the attack, its speed being far faster than any opponent I've have faced just yet and… quite to a degree that I could say that it was truly something inhuman hiding behind helmet.

It took a large swing with its sword, forcing me to jump over it as I approached it with immense caution.

This wasn't just a spar that I could just back away from and… I could already feel the difference by the first dodge.

My breathing started to grow softer, my eyes narrowed on my target and the world seemed to turn in a blur as I plunged briefly the blade of my weapon right into its exposed lower thigh.

It groaned in what I could perceive as pain, but it didn't seem deterred from trying to bash me away as he lifted the sword from its extended reach.

I moved to the side, ducking away as it took another mighty swing in an effort to cleave me in half.

There was something wrong about its maneuvering, something that just felt… inorganic.

Like a robot but… that couldn't just be it.

I continued to think about it as I continued to dodge or deflect away the various attacks sent in my general direction, my attention mostly directed to the little openings popping in its stance as the deadly dance continued.

I could listen some discussion still going in the background while I was fighting this monster.

The woman that commanded my opponent was interacting with Altuos and the elder was rejecting any persuasions coming from the mysterious mastermind of this sudden and unexpected assault.

But I couldn't just… get a glance over where she was standing, the high-paced combat was drawing most of my focus on the still dangerous behemoth.

It had just shrugged off the non-negligible wound on its chest even though it was still bleeding through its armor.

No signs of relenting its aggressive pattern, I found myself lost in that swift loop and…

Then I felt pain surge from my stomach, the armored fiend slamming a quick kick on it.

"**It takes just a mistake for you to lose a fight, Kingly."**

It was instantaneous, almost a blur, and I felt my eyes being forced wide open by the shock.

I blurted spit and blood as that powerful and unexpected attack sent me flying onto the close wall, my back being unprepared for the new wave of pain rising from the impact.

I fell on one knee at that brutal escalation, trembling and shivering at the fact I had lost so much blood so quickly and… I could feel that I was starting to hyperventilate at the presence of so much red staining the floor and my clothes- my sight even.

This was my first battle and… it was also going to be the last one.

I felt the bile trying to rise up through my throat, but I was quick to send it back to my belly where it truly belonged.

My sight was now directed at the approaching opponent, the giant having dropped its shield and now lifting his sword with all its might, ready to conclude the job once and for all.

That seemed to be it. I thought that it was my last moment of what could have been my greatest opportunity that life had offered me.

With my brain slowly shutting up as the blood was starting to get hold of my logical thoughts and drowning them to silence, I started to feel time slowing down to see the killing blow unfold silently and unopposed.

…

But was that going to be it?

Was I just… going to surrender myself to this sudden assassination attempt that wasn't even directed at me to begin with?

Can I actually afford to lose this fight with how high the bets are?

What about the people believing in me to save them from the approaching invasion?

C-Can I just- just shatter their hope, ca-can I let them perish because I- I **WANT TO GIVE UP!**?!

I snarled at myself in a chiding manner for even considering just letting death take me away without a fight, my head burning fiercely and I felt forced to stay away through the need of catch some rest as the fight wasn't over yet.

One could say that I was trying some stupid thing, to fight the unavoidable, to fend off the blow that would effortlessly see me killed… but with the odds stacked against me and the knowledge that people were giving me their trust to see the bright light of another day...

I felt an itching sensation coming from the hand holding Crocea Mors.

The blade begging to continue, to not stop, _to persist and win this battle __**against this weak bastard in front of me.**_

"I-I refuse to let go of my kingdom!" I proclaimed loudly, some lucidity still missing from my mind as I prepared to thrown a useless swing at the incoming doom, my hands tightly holding at the sword's hilt as I forced it to move upward. "G-Go Forth, **Crocea Mors!**"

Now from there things start to get quite difficult to remember at this point.

I _think _I saw my blade exploding in pure golden and scarlet light as it continued its ascension, cutting verily into the torso of the golem and shredding its inner bits apart.

It was magical, it wasn't bloody but I was certainly feeling energized by this explosion of new vigor rushing all over my body.

It groaned, backing away in shock and pausing its attack as its arms flailed in agony at the sudden damage it had sustained… but I wasn't done yet.

_**Not after what had just happened.**_

I started to cut wildly, aimlessly and mercilessly into its mechanic-looking innards, shredding into its metallic bits, spilling its strange-looking goo away from its chest and after what felt to have been an eternity, I saw it fall backward on the floor to never get up again.

I waited for a full minute, silence reigning over the corridor and I sighed in relief at the lack of activity from the now-broken giant.

My posture was still tense after that last hit and my breathing was terribly labored after what had just happened here.

My body was mostly torn by the experience, some of the pointy bits of the wall having cut some more wounds on my back when I crashed butt-first into it.

I was so clueless, so tired and… I was aware that it wasn't over yet.

I glanced to the side as I was finally granted the chance of seeing the one responsible for this attack and she was already staring at me.

The woman was wearing a crown-like thing on top of her head, the upwards spiky bits being made with dark-colored sapphires.

She had a dark-tinted veil covering her face, so I could just see her pale-blonde hair that reached far below her knees.

Her dark dress with dull-blue details was very revealing with several spots showing parts of her skin that didn't truly display any nudity.

Her midriff was exposed, some blood-red tattoo-like details developing near her belly button… before resuming right above her mostly-exposed cleavage.

It took me a moment to actually stare at the detail instead of getting allured by the infinity of certain valleys.

_Goddamn, is this what Giacomo Leopardy was alluding to about the infinite?_

I started to make my slow and incredibly pained way towards Altuos and the mysterious woman, Crocea Mors trailing down on the ground as I didn't feel strong enough to rise it up in a proper guarding stance.

While the super-adrenaline had gotten me to survive the golem, I just couldn't keep up with another fight with the same pace if not worse than the one I just left as the victor.

"So you are the one Altuos has summoned to lead this dying city?" The pale-blonde muttered with a hint of intrigue and fascination. "To think that a mere human could have been able to survive an Enforcer, one of my latest creations."

Her musings continued even as I finally reached close enough to see the shocked look on the slightly-injured elder.

"A-Altuos?" I muttered weakly, towards the Magus.

"Y-Your Majesty?" He seemed still shocked, but managed a nod at my query.

"C-Can you do the thing where… you actually call for medical assistance?"

Confusion hindered him for a while, but ultimately the old man reached for the communication gem within one of his robes' pockets.

"Are you now really going to ignore me, false pretender?" The woman resumed her verbal charge once again. "Not only you rudely refuse to introduce yourself, but you also decide to pass me, the blood of Uther Pendragon and true Queen of Britain, off for-"

"W-Wait, you are Morgan le Fay?"

…

She eased a little, then she seemed to tense up again as she brought her right hand up, lifting just a few fingers.

"How many fingers are you seeing right now, you fool?"

The question broke a little from the past few sentences, but I decided to comply to this silly request.

"F-Four?"

The blond shook her head.

"Of course. After fighting the Enforcer, you are far too drained to even commit yourself to attack me."

She took a few steps towards me and paused, her hand lifting my chin up so I could stare right into her veiled face instead of lingering onto her bosom.

"You are strong, I can tell you would become great under my rule," Morgan said with such a sensual and enticing tone, almost tickling my chin. "But you would have to recognize me as-"

"I-I'm sorry," I interjected with a simple whisper. "While you might have some p-pretty eyes and quite the lovely s-smile, I have to refuse you-your offer."

…

She almost went to check if her veil was still on as I commented about her face, but of course I couldn't see anything through that little barrier.

"Why?"

"I-I'm Joseph, King of Britannia and… ruler of the p-people that believes in me," I replied tiredly. "A-And I don't want to- to-"

"To hurt them?" Morgan guessed with a bored tone, letting go of my chin and taking a step back. "You are just like Arthur about this… but your response is genuine, it feels as such."

"A-Also, aren't you… married already with a King?" I asked almost as quickly as she replied. "I think it was… King Lot, right?"

…

"I'm surprised you, a mere 'stranger' would know about this," The woman voiced her surprise and interest over my knowledge. "I now wonder what else you know about the world around you."

She _giggled_ and then… a dark-blue portal opened behind her.

"But I think this time I will let you live, little claimant," The blonde concluded with a sigh. "Your tenacity will prove to be enough of an entertainment and I can only see you succeed against the fools trying to raze the Isles."

I blinked at her words and spoke up once again. "W-Wait," I held my free arm towards her and she actually stopped to listen. "W-Why did you attack Altuos then?"

She stared back with some silence at first, then she sighed.

"Why should I even tell you this, Joseph of Britannia?"

And with that rejection, I was left standing with quite the odd situation.

"Y-Your Majesty- Are you sure that-"

**Thud.**

"Y-Your Majesty!"

_**The floor kindly accepted my body face-first as I felt my last strength go away, leaving me to face the worst kind of exhaustion I had to ever suffer until now.**_

_**Yep, today is truly a good day to kiss the floor while thinking about hills.**_

* * *

**AN**

**Morgan strikes and… she is quite interested about the summoning spell used by Altuos.**

**But why and… why? **

**And what about Joseph. Can he truly survive this situation or will a random encounter actually come and kill him in a moment of surprise and shock?**

**So many questions… but most of it all. **

**How old is Morgan compared to Arthur?**

**P.S. 231 Followers after just three chapter? Holy Jesus, that's a big number. Yay!**

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**k o-fi . com (slash) justbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**EatMyIceCream****: It's the Crocea Mors from FGO. That's the only version of the blade in the Fateverse. I think the simple way to define its ability is… it's an Aimbot Sword, it literally can't fail to fight against someone in close-quarters.**

**VGBlackwing****: Let's just say that things aren't that bad for Joseph. Some of the Knight's motivations can actually see them go to become knights under Joseph… of course it will all be behind proper logic and no Gary-stu BS.**

**Ichigo Oga****: Maybe or maybe not.**

**00Malware00****: No voices since the narration is quite closer to the happening than in the last chapter. The bold thoughts can be seen more as overly-exaggerated, cynical or even sassy comments over an instance.**

**RoyalTwinFangs****: Not truly and… that is going to create some problem in the near future between Joseph and what is left of Rome.**

**Styles- Extreme****:**  
**1) Ordinary chap with normal knowledge of the world that is thrown in the Nasuverse Medieval Age;**  
**2)I've a better understanding of the Nasuverse, so I will introduce some more stuff about it. But I will have to also introduce some 'original' stuff since some things aren't just explained about the era;**  
**3) More serious and possibly no Gary-Stu moments;**


	5. To be a King (4)

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**F/SN, F/Z, F/KPI and other products related to the Fate Series are all owned by TYPE-MOON, Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 4****: To be a King (4)**

* * *

It was early in the morning and I was still unsure about my difficult decision of actually standing in front of the main force that was supposed to defend Londinium.

I was still aching, my body well-covered in bandages that were mostly hidden by the armor I was donning over my normal clothes.

Riding a horse was… making things far worse than those should be while I was merely walking on my own.

The animal was particularly calm, it was well-behaved, but still giving some shakes as it patiently waited for my command to move around and… that was making my capacity to think even less than it was a few hours ago.

I should have been a goner after falling into unconsciousness, mere instants after the sorceress had left that ruined hall of the castle.

Despite winning that battle against that golem and surviving a discussion with Morgan le Fay, the wounds I had sustained during the fight should have seen me dying for how much extensive those were.

My recovery had been possible only thanks to the Magus Guild, the group having offered quality help in keeping my situation stable while the 'healers' took care of my injuries.

Some members of the Church had been spectating the entire development too, keeping away from disrupting the intensive care I had been subjected to.

A 'precautionary force' in case of betrayal from the guild, as Felicianus had been quick to define when inquired about the matter.

There was some tension between the two factions, but nothing truly erupted from just some insults thrown left and right while I continued to be unconscious.

I was sleeping as the critical situation was being solved, my mind too tired and somewhat drained by the wrecked state of my body.

I could remember some of the early pain that preceded my partial recovery as the main operation was only meant to put me in a somewhat sufficient state to actively give orders for the soon-to-happen battle.

I remember waking up about two hours after midnight and… it was still dark.

A few Magi that were keeping watch over my bed were quick to give me a proper checkup, to see if the herbs and the spells used to speed up my healing were working without any worrisome drawback.

Altuos had been summoned about ten minutes after my awakening and he looked to have gained several decades with just a glance directed at me.

He was immensely concerned if not worried about my conditions, kind of touching considering that I had yet to cope with the fact I didn't have anyone else to trust in those dark moments.

Despite my newest role as a leader, I had forfeited the presence of my family and… that was still stinging even now.

After some brief words to see the current state of things, how everything had gone by as I had been stuck in that comatose state, I found myself embroiled in what I could describe as a divided house.

For the first time since I had started my rule, both Altuos and Felicianus were quick to side on the fact that I had to stay within the castle as I was in no condition to even move away from the bed.

The two elders were opposed by the stern front erected by Marcus with the commander of the little army defending the city kept pressing on the fact that my presence was the element that would keep the numerically inferior forces from making sudden retreats during the incoming fight.

I was silent for a good hour, letting both sides expose the boons of their different mindset while also undermining their 'opponents' by highlighting the flaws of the opposite decision.

It was all nice and instructive as each gave their own understanding of the situation while keeping a surprising civil tone for this circumstance.

I was keen to listen all the fair points and the little odd bits about divine justice and morality that were sprouted here and there mostly by the bishop.

In the end, much to the two old men, I had to accept the fact I couldn't just skip the duty I had in staying in front of the army.

Morale was going to reduce drastically if I ended up to not be directly involved in the battle, with many of the soldiers taking it as a sign of betrayal whatever excuse brought to them.

The news of my wounds had reached very few people, mostly those that worked and lived in the royal castle.

I was still 'fine' to the eyes of the large majority and I couldn't just skip my task now that the stakes were so high.

I needed some help to start walking, even more support to wear the armor that I had been given by Marcus and… I can't even describe the nightmare-like process of getting onto the horse's saddle.

In the end of what had been quite the complicated debate to face so early in the morning, I ended up riding that dark-furred horse that was quietly waiting for something to happen.

There were other 'knights' standing just a few meters behind where I was, their horses as calm as mine while we waited the arrival of the enemy forces.

A mixed group of pikemen and archers were divided in two forces by each side, while the rest of the defending force had been split in two large brigades that were keeping watch within the forest sections in front of the city.

While a well-planned charge of cavalry was going to prove devastating for the strained invaders that were making their way there, it wouldn't have been enough to shatter their ranks to an acceptable degree to grasp victory.

This is why there were traps between the defensive positions and the steps to reach those, rendering the entire path a minefield for the incoming attackers.

Once the damaged force arrived to make sight with my task force and I ordered the beginning of the frontal assault, the rest of the army was to convey and crash on the unsuspecting behind of the German invaders.

I was incredibly uneasy, unfairly tired by the sore body that I was supposed to deal with and… with the fact that the silence was filling me with never-ending doubts over the success of this simple plan.

It should work. Technically, this was the first time ever that the armies of this period experienced something like this rudimentary combined arms doctrine.

Albeit not as balanced as it would have been for William of Normandy because of the lack of more preparation and numbers, the flexibility of the group under my command made it possible to counter any surprises that was now lurking in that force.

I had asked to Altuos one last time before leaving the castle what were the chances of encountering some magic-users in the enemy frontline and he repeated for the umpteenth time that there was a non-negligible possibility… but one that saw the sorcerers chained and used as tools more than willing soldiers in their ranks.

It was somewhat a positive discovery since I was now aware that the morale of this worrying group was going to be the lowest once the traps were sprung.

It didn't take too long for this to happen as, while the birds flying around were still chirping and the soft English breeze was keeping my body tense and irked, everyone was alarmed by the distinct noises of multiple explosions being set off.

Some light started to appear from deeper in the foliage, urging everyone to muster up their guarded stances as the battle was soon to begin.

I narrowed my eyes, trying to get a proper look of the approaching force and… I was surprised by what started to come out from the forest.

When I had initially planned the amount of bombs that had to be commissioned, when I made a supposition of the numbers that I was about to truly face, I had completely taken off a very important variable from my difficult calculus.

_**The mortality of the traps I ordered to set up.**_

When one thinks of medieval times, they either imagine some people ripping off Roman-based armors and weapons or people donning rudimentary knightly equipment.

Yet I had completely forgotten that I was facing a 'no-name' Barbaric tribe that was made by mercenaries with little protection to defend against the multitude of explosions they had set off in their early approach.

I could count a dozen or two of survivors slowly making their way towards us, but only a handful looked to be battle-ready.

_**I… I might have exaggerated.**_

This simple and childish thought was the only summary I could get out from that troubled turmoil within my mind, my brain and stomach trying to make sense of the sheer brutality that were resulting from the traps and…

Some of the footed infantry was already giving up the content of their breakfast at the mutilated victims of the mines that were lying around the path.

The remaining force was shell-shocked and terribly frightened, but their worries seemed to triple when they noticed the band of knights and militiamen waiting for them to get closer.

They stopped, their leader seemingly looking as nervous as furious while he continued to shout fiercely at the hooded figure that was standing beside him.

While one of the man's hand was holding the battle-axe by his right shoulder, the other one was pulling at the chain connected to the metallic collar around the slender figure's neck.

A sorcerer.

I took grasp of the horse's reins and pushed the animal to finally advance towards the survivors of the traps, the rest of the retinue following shortly after with a moderate pace.

The more I got closer to the area where the group was trying to make their last stand, the more I could hear the annoying shouts of the surviving leader getting louder and louder.

The figure was now shivering, visibly terrified by what was happening as they were dropped on the floor by a sudden slap, forcing their hood to move away and…

Reveal quite the odd sight.

While I could get behind the fact that magic existed in medieval ages, that there was truly a Morgan le Fay and possibly a King Arthur, I certainly couldn't make head of the appearances of the newly-revealed woman.

Her robes were tattered, signs of violence presented by some bruises on her pale face that was just a hint or two darker than the pearly-white hair she had.

She was glancing away from her captor and staring in my direction in an unfocused stare.

She had red eyes.

…

I mustered some effort to keep myself from facepalming with how in pain I still was, but goddamn this wasn't just something I could directly stomach without some massive questions.

Odd hair and eye-color was sign of something one could see in Anime. It was rare to find fantasy titles with human beings having this kind of elements… but I've met nobody else sharing any strange feature compared to the average individual.

Heck, even the barbarians looked like the standard mix of vikings and tribal Germans with no peculiar oddity in their styles and appearances.

I shook my head at the development, trying to return my attention to the 'battlefield', only noticing now that the chief of the tribal force had now lifted his battle-axe well over his head and was preparing to kill the sorceress trying to crawl away from him.

My breath itched at my throat, my frown steeling as I carefully yanked at the reins to have the horse increase its pace.

A quick neigh preceded a sudden intensification of the animal's pace and I felt trembling a little at the new speed, while my right hand removed Crocea Mors from its sheath.

My rush was followed by the chorus of 'Deus Vult's as the rest of the group behind me started to charge at the band of survivors.

The rest of the invaders looked quite horrified by this predicament, turning tail and rushing back in the forest… only to freeze up as they noticed the two approaching forces coming from behind.

They were surrounded by my army, ready to surrender or be slaughtered by the meatgrinder… all except the leader that seemed to be more focused on the magician.

Ignoring her confusing looks, I found myself debating why would the young woman not attack us if she was threatened to do so.

Why wouldn't she do that if her life was put on the line?

The horse rammed onto the mad-driven barbarian, forcing him away from concluding the downward arch directed to the shivering white-haired lady.

He yelped, a mix of pain and panic as he was slammed onto the ground, dropping the axe in the process.

I proceeded to carefully slip down from the saddle and on the floor, Crocea Mors lowered and pointed at the recovering Barbarian.

"Y-You will regret attacking me! M-My father-"

"Is not here to compensate for your lacking performance," I interrupted sassily, the stress of my bandages urging me to take a less diplomatic approach. "Surrender or die."

"N-Never! I-I will never allow you to-"

I didn't do anything to maim him, yet the leader was either too furious or too stupid to recognize the blade poised over him as he literally…

_Lunged into it._

I tensed up at the scene, his eyes going wide at the cold realization of what he had just done, slowly crumbling to the floor once again.

"Y-You- B-But he said that- that I was going to be- to be King!-!"

A sordid thud signaled the end of his life, my silent expression deafening my entire experience of my first kill.

This wasn't a dummy, nor the golem I had obliterated yesterday…

This was a human being. A scummy human being, but still a life.

I slowly retracted the golden-silver sword out of his chest, letting his body fully fall on the floor as I turned my attention at the blood liquid staining the texture of Crocea Mors.

It wasn't jam, it wasn't some special effect. This was blood, real blood.

I felt my lungs aching a little bit, the attempt to hyperventilate at the sight and realization of what I've just done was… starting to get me fairly uneasy, if not squeamish.

The noise of men fighting left and right, with none of the knights loyal to me falling against the highly-demoralized troops, was rendered bubbly and incomprehensible as I carefully felt my sight drawn back to the young sorceress now staring at me and… holding her hands in a prayer.

She was shivering, tears were rolling off her cheeks and… I was unsure what to do about her.

She was dangerous, there was no reason to believe otherwise, yet she hadn't attacked the retinue, nor did she try to help her captors around with the ongoing battle.

I blinked, my eyes lost in quite the glowing pair of red orbs.

And then I sighed.

_**I blame you for making me this sensible to women, cousin John.**__**I hope you are cursed with infinite paperwork.**_

* * *

I think the little curse backfired, but I guess I should have been expecting to be forced to face some paperwork before the planned celebrations.

Everyone, from the simple inhabitants within the city and the soldiers that took part in this 'not-so' glorious battle, were quick to chant victory over the horde of invaders that had been vanquished from ever threatening the peace of the city-castle.

Yay, no more pro- Oh right, there were still problems.

While I had been glad myself of having achieved a victory, albeit one as empty as this one, I still just got some more time to think, plan and improve my fief to stand up to the other issues riddling the isles.

There was also a newer problematic debacle created by the little choice I had to make as the battle drew to an end.

The sorceress had been safely escorted to some secure quarters where she will be monitored for a week or two by the Magus Guild in the effort of getting some information out of her.

While she had been just an unwilling participant of this brief conflict and I vouched for her harmlessness, her presence did more than just stir some nervousness from the people living in the castle.

Felicianus was quite irritated, terribly confused and highly-annoying in what had seemed to be an effort to do an 'appeal to reason'.

_**At this point, I'm not even sure if reason is still viable with the crap I'm supposed to deal with. Magic, anime-like girls… what's next? Gandalf?**_

I almost snorted at the fact that Altuos did count as a 'Gandalf', but my brain was just so embroiled by the content of the various orders, edicts and decrees that were there to be proclaimed now that I had the victory I needed to levy some legitimacy over the villages located nearby Londinium.

The process was going to be a slow one for sure, but now that I was free to move some troops around to free the path to the still-isolated settlements, I was sure that success was now a matter of time.

Recovery was a must, while expansion further in the unoccupied lands was going to be the prime objective for the first few years.

If I wanted to avoid the issues of overpopulation that were soon going to plague the isles, I needed to create more villages and cities to house the large number of people that was still fleeing from mainland Europe.

I was close to fall asleep on that wooden chair, ready to get some nap going before dealing with the 'duties as a victorious King' for the ceremony planned to happen by lunch.

Was I irritated that I would have to give some speeches about what happened today, while also appearing to be as gleeful and happy as everyone else in Londinium?

A little bit. But I guess it is more of a fear-induced complication than anything based on true annoyance.

I still had to plan out how exactly should I get the remains of those that had died by the traps out from the forest's roads around the city.

The bill sure was going to be a tall one from what I felt was going to be the number of dead people lingering there.

Just as I prepared to take a nap on that sturdy chair I was resting by, my attention was caught by the distinct sound of someone knocking by the door.

I glanced at it and sighed.

"Come in."

Altuos didn't wait for more as he opened the door, stepping inside before closing it behind himself.

"Your highness, I see that you are _stressing yourself_ already despite the fact I had told you not to," The elder chided quietly as he proceeded to take several steps toward the desk, taking a seat by one of the free chairs in front of me.

"I'm trying to keep some bad thoughts out," I hummed tiredly. "I'm not exactly finding complete relief by this victory-"

"Death is an acceptable part of war," The old man muttered in return. "It's a sad element, but a necessary one considering how trying these times are."

"I thought that there were going to be much more- yet I can't just- I can't understand why there were so few remaining from that early ambush."

"Perhaps you have forgotten that we aren't facing a true nation, but a conglomerate of thieves, raiders and other horrible criminals that have little in common in each other… but the sinful manner they go with their lives," Altuos pointed out with a sigh. "It wouldn't be difficult to see them… split apart in not-so friendly ways."

I blinked at his words, leaning by back right to the chair as I pondered over his reasoning.

The tribes had little cohesion between one another and this wasn't certainly a coordinated invasion that had a central leadership and some trustworthy armies.

It could be possible that they just… broke apart the moment their leader decided to go through this march towards Londinium.

The sureness in his voice while he died upon my blade was… concerning.

It sounded just too certain, as if he was aware that there had been more than a good chance of winning this battle without difficulties.

But why? Why he had felt so sure about it despite the lack of numerical superiority that he had lost with this rushed advance?

"Maybe he got deceived by a doubtful mirror," The elder hummed while looking at my face, my expression morphing in one of surprise at his guess at my inner question. "I admit it was a surprise when I first interviewed the frightened child but… she is truly an admirable individual."

…

"Truly?"

"Quite so," Altuos confirmed with a nod. "Not only she is unique with her peculiar nature of human and homunculus, but her propensity to use the Third Magic is-"

"H-Hold up, homunculus?" I interrupted with this swift inquiry, catching the old man off-guard for a few moments.

Like FMA's Homunculus kind of stuff? Was I going to have to ask some moral background before continuing this conversation?

"I suppose the term is quite unusual, but I can assure you that her connection to the word is fairly limited if not offensive considering her complex humanity and rare predicament," The old man assured with a sigh. "In fact, I think her only inhuman traits are her eyes, her hair and… her propensity over the Heaven's Feel."

…

"Can you elaborate on this Heaven's… Feel?" I asked with a confused tone.

From a sense of disgust, I found myself facing an odd situation of innuendos.

She did look pretty gorgeous when I first saw her, maybe a little malnourished but… there was no way he was alluding to…

**That.**

"The Third Magic, one of the known five originals and… the most sought by many greedy men," Altuos pointed out with a tired sigh. "The capacity to extend the life of a soul beyond the death of the body, to allow the perfect survival of such a vital part of one's life to achieve true immortality."

Oh, that sounded less perverted and _**more worrying if I had to be honest.**_

Seriously, why was this a thing and… why didn't the man that led the banner against Londinium didn't use her for that?

While I was unsure over what he might have planned to do by lashing out at the sorceress, I wonder why he didn't just-

"She can't use it, of course," The old man continued with a hum. "She hadn't been taught to make use of her magic. And… I would say that her former captor failed to grasp such a simple detail."

...You got to be kidding me.

You mean to tell me that he just… he just missed the fact that she was not only limited to make use of that peculiar and highly-limited magic but he also failed to notice that she can't do spells?

My sadness was turning in mocking pity at this point, the more I realized how much of an idiot the man I killed was.

"Still, did she tell you- Actually, what is her name?" I inquired with a hint of curiosity. "I forgot to ask early on but-"

"Mya," The Magus leader interrupted quietly. "Her full designation was 'Myasviel', but she prefers the name 'Mya' to it."

I blinked. "Designation?"

"She was still created by some disciples of the last Magician of the Third Magic. Her and many more of her 'kin'," The elder explained calmly. "They call themselves… 'Einzbern'. After the place where the first Homunculus was conceived."

"So they are not made by 'natural' means. I mean, there is no daddy and mommy going for-"

"N-No," Altuos interrupted with some red on his face at the blunt query. "They receive skin, soul and humanity via magic. Their growths varies between the various specimen… but from my understanding Mya was the only one to be allowed to have a regular lifespan."

"That means she isn't three or something like right?"

I don't want to deal with the FBI for just moving her around for the guards to take her to her newest accommodations.

"Indeed. I would say she is… nineteen right now."

"That's pretty young to be enslaved by the tribes," I commented quietly. "How exactly did she end up under their control?"

…

"She… has yet to tell us about this," Altuos admitted with some embarrassment. "We avoided pressuring her too much as we feel like there is some trauma, a bad experience that got her to refuse to give out this kind of information."

"Yet she was happy enough to dispense this much information." I mused out-loud, pondering over this little obstacle behind the full understanding of this individual. "I suppose there is a reason behind this open acceptance of giving out this much about herself."

The old man blinked, a small smile appearing on his face at my words… causing me to frown.

"What?" I asked curtly, getting a nod from him.

"Mya has been asking about you, your highness," The elder replied quietly. "More about your conditions. She mentioned about seeing some bandages over your armor, and she has mentioned having served as a temporary healer for her former lord's house."

So she had experience in working in a castle? Probably she had been affiliated to some Latin fief that had survived the barbaric waves shattering Rome's control over Europe.

Maybe that's where she was actually captured, when the fief she lived in was taken over.

And- wait, what?

"I can understand the classic healer's worry… but why she asked about me if she knows I'm the king?"

"Perhaps she was fascinated by your chivalrous mannerism," Altuos mirthfully proposed, snorting as I frowned at him. "It would be quite 'deceiving' for a maiden when she is treated so regally by a king."

"It was the only way possible?"

"You could have asked for one from your retinue to help her back to the castle, to be treated as a good prisoner instead of a war one," He shot back quietly, drawing a huff from me.

"There is no other motivations other than doing the right thing," I said while trying to appear the calmest if not the most serious possible.

"Not that I was implying otherwise, your Highness, but people can start quite the conversations about this curious topic. Maybe you should visit Mya's room to dismiss such claims."

"Wouldn't that intensify the chances of rumors spreading, Altuos?" I probed with a frown right at the amused old man.

"Perhaps," He replied back with a sigh. "Or maybe you will end up having someone else to talk to instead of bemoaning to someone like me."

Was he trying to say that I was being too whiny? Was that sass I was feeling from the old man?

"But alas, I think we should focus on… the speech you should deliver by lunch," Altuos said to switch the conversation to a newer topic. "I assume that you have something to say-"

"No."

…

"I assume it was the battle, and not the fact you have been wasting time with this new paperwork that was meant to be done tomorrow, your Highness," He said with a mock-hopeful voice, getting a tired groan out of me.

"I'm not good at speeches."

"I find myself opposing this false certainty, milord," The elder pressed on. "While I can provide you with some keywords to use to improvise, I wish for you to at least try to write down something for the next victory."

I blinked at his words, kind of surprised at how much our relationship had turned into this friendly bantering.

I shrugged. "I will give it a try… hopefully, I will not achieve a second victory before dinner. My mind wouldn't handle that."

"While I do see the signs of a good monarch, I will refrain from consider you someone this much… lucky with successes."

_**Oh Altuos, you sassy old man with wizard powers.**_

* * *

**AN**

**Made a little reference to another story I'm writing, have fun finding it and… yeah, we got an Einzbern in.**

**But why is there an Einzbern when they aren't meant to-? The Einzbern family as… family became a thing in the 14th century, but it's confirmed that the original Einzberns were homunculi made by the disciples of the Magician of the Third Magic.**

**While they weren't as resilient as the ones made post-Justeaze models, their unique trait is their grasp over the Third Magic… which Mya is currently incapable of using because she was never taught about it.**

**Will she learn about it? Maybe, or maybe not. Depends on the mood.**

**Another change to the story as in the original draft Myasviel was a knight (which was horribly crackish as an excuse to introduce an Einzbern) and now she is a pseudo-sorceress. Don't expect her to fight Morgan on a fair 1v1 and win, she doesn't know much about magic and she isn't capable of reaching Morgan's level (being that the woman is a fairy/dark spirit kind of gal).**

**Lastly, while this was the conclusion of the imminent Tribal threat, the rest of the barbarians are still on the isles and… they will be dealt with in due time.**

**Next chapter will have some world-building with some map-making (I will work on something, I do have the means to achieve that and it will be available in the forums only since the FFN system doesn't allow any medias).**

**P.S. I'm also reworking 'Fate Last Heaven', now with more spice, explosive and more dramatic shenanigans!**

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**k o-fi . com (slash) justbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**RoyalTwinFangs****: Not a Lostbelt. I will add FGO elements later on with some omakes, but I can already says that… there is some comic scenes planning, nothing too serious.**

**AscendedHumanity****: He might have that. Probably.**

**Vercingetorix2****: No, he is blissfully unaware of anything about the nasuverse.**

**Billy Reb****: Probably Harem, I'm not fully sure. Second question is… will be answered in a chapter far from now. It's just beginning as a story, after all! XD**

**Fenrir-kun****: There is something planned for Crocea Mors.**

**ALTER-BOT****: There are thiccer things, my dude.**

**Sugoijack9****: Less Gary-Stuing, more realism.**


	6. Restoring the Kingdom (1)

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**F/SN, F/Z, F/KPI and other products related to the Fate Series are all owned by TYPE-MOON, Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 5****: Restoring the Kingdom (1)**

* * *

Two days had gone by peacefully once the first attack was repelled.

While I had been wary of any followups from the invasion force since I was sure that I had slain the son of some major chief during that fight, I found myself blessed with quite the development I hadn't seen in the short-term of the war.

The Saxons, despite holding a large chunk of territories after months of waging wars against the former counties ruling there, had failed to secure an alliance with the impressive kingdom sited in the north.

The Kingdom of the Lothian, known to many Latin students as the Realm of the Picts, was considered the proper predecessor of Scotland.

Despite the lack of proper unity to create a full-fledged nation that could have easily swept the rest of England under its control, the country was still strong enough to poise some troubles to the invading force.

The barbarians knew this, in fact my strong suspicions of a war having erupted in the mean time was confirmed by the news coming from the eastern coast as those gave details about numerous skirmishes having broken out between the two great forces.

Very good, but also very bad as it meant that if the Saxons lost to the Lothians, I was going to deal with the fact I would have to face someone far angrier and bigger to get the coastal zones back under control.

So I was pressed on planning things quickly and without wasting too much time in unimportant activities.

With the army still intact and ready to go for other battles, I decided that the main priority was to get the free territories consolidated under the direct control of Londinium.

There was no way I was going to try my hands at subjugating beyond the petty kingdoms in the area, knowing full well that some of the other claimants were still too difficult to change right now.

Kent was dealing with the invasion as a frontline region just like Londinium, but it had some support from the Roman presence in Normandy which made an invasion from my part not only unsuccessful but also quick to backfire since 'Rome' backed them.

The Welsh countries were embroiled in as much of a civil war as was Dumnonia.

Speaking of this last country, I had heard some unpleasant news about Vortigern having gone as far as tap in dark magic. Nothing concrete but certainly worrying if he decided to harass other nations while fighting against Arthur.

Still, I didn't stay idle in those few days and I decided to start with some diplomacy.

Messengers were dispatched quickly the moment the morning of the day after the battle had struck, their objectives clear to them as they traveled all over to the various settlements located in the west of the city.

I had concluded that the biggest issue to deal would have been the pseudo-aristocracy that had taken over some of the major towns, as I knew that they would bargain for more rewards instead of completely submitting to my rule out of respect.

Yet I was keen to mind the fact that minor villages were still lacking a proper guide to follow in this chaotic period, and the victory we had achieved would spread out faster with the arrival of the messengers in these places.

My latter assumption was proven correct when the numerous young men and, surprisingly enough considering the age I was now living in, women had decided to flock at the opportunity of fresh and highly-paid jobs here in Londinium when they followed back some of the messengers.

They were coming from the nearby villages, thus the travel-time by foot ended up being a mere trip of some hours to reach the settlements and back in most of the instances.

Some of the couriers were still away from completing their works, but I was hopeful that they would end up bringing the same degree of success as the one I was assisting back there.

Many were orphans, but a large majority was made by people that wanted to be close to taste some of the glorious success that was now present within the capital of the region.

I had to be careful in properly dividing them in groups, knowing that I couldn't just conscript them all in the army and that there were plenty of positions that could be filled with the proper people.

The women ended up splitting between working as 'assistants' to the soup kitchens in the city and joining the small merchants guild in the city.

With the threat of war being an ever-present thing, many influential merchants had left the city in the last few decades, and only a handful of people had remained to make up the current guild.

When the leader was summoned to talk about this matter, he had gone ecstatic over the opportunity of expanding the group once again, but he was keen enough to listen up to my advice over teaching their new recruits instead of sending them to work already as they lacked the experience and the knowledge to do a good one.

The men ended up splitting in more groups.

Some joined the army much to Commander Marcus' delight, others found themselves attracted by the mysteriousness of the Magus Guild, and the remaining few were sent to pursue a religious career.

There was a minority that decided to try out their luck in the Builders Guild, bolstering the already-strong group with a dozen of recruits.

Speaking of building stuff, my plans didn't just settle for diplomacy and military, but also for inward expansion and some effort to address some concerning economic problems.

Bandits were still a dreadful problem that was crippling the resources coming from the nearby farms.

With some of the workers having retreated back to their old properties, something unique had happened when I listened to the most recent case of assault.

These farmers were allowed to bring with them their swords as they made return to their homes, granting them the chances of defending themselves in case of ambushes.

And it did happen as suspected.

Thieves, murderers and much worse had decided to prepare some ambushes all over the territory and render the passage either limited by a toll or outright impossible for anyone that wasn't in their group.

Fairly annoying, yet the thing that truly caught me off-guard was how some of the soldiers had decided to react.

Having been present to the briefings detailing the battleplan that had been meant to the battle while also understanding the importance of keeping an eye out for any suspicious situations, all of them managed to survive the encounters they had been subjected to, sometime even killing the troublemakers in the process.

It was this repeating case that led me to understand that the best way to counter this criminals… was by having some local soldiers actively pursuing them.

They would work outside of the standard rules of the army, their job fitting best with what modern police was as they would directly hunt down any scum tainting the land.

I was very careful to present this idea to Marcus, but the men seemed to accept the logic behind splitting this group away from the army as a whole.

It would still take some time to make sure the task force was ready to go through the long-term plan I had been styling for some time, but I was sure that something impressive could be done with patience and logical thinking.

Yet the hard-work was far from over. In fact, this was just the beginning.

Taxation had to be reworked, simplified, and focused on the idea of fixing the rates to the income of the different social classes.

The Church received an exemption as I had promised, while the rest of the people was granted relief in the form of the 'low' taxes I had applied to the set of laws I was progressively building up from scratch.

Yes, I had some ideas from various constitutions I had studied in the past few years and I did implement a mix of important rules coming from some of those, but the basis of the law all came from my mind alone.

The Magna Carta was still a far sight and I didn't need to have some nobility trying to impose their own will to veto my reforms.

The idea of a parliament floated around for some time, but I ultimately decided to postpone the creation of one because of how cumbersome things would get if I had also to reform current politics.

It was planned, but I just couldn't afford to spend too much effort into it with how many issues I still had to deal with.

The next subject was the agricultural sector as a whole.

With farmers returning home to make sure their cultivations and livestock hadn't been lost because of lack of activity at their property, I decided to give them some suggestions in making their land's productivity increase with modern means.

I explained them in a reunion I had with the farmers by the gates of Londinium how Crop rotation and selective breeding worked, and how those were going to improve the quality and quantity of their products.

Some were skeptical about my explanation, but they seemed to accept my words as true just by my important title.

It was annoying, but at least I was able to get half of the British Agricultural Revolution going several centuries early on.

Finally, the last topic for these turbulent days was the modernization of the current weaponry the army could afford to get.

Lances, swords, and pikes weren't going to be enough with the needs for any plans for a quick conquest of the British Isles and I sure knew how to bring up a proper advantage to my current military force.

I needed guns, and while I was aware that I wasn't going to get any assault rifles anytime soon, I could still start trying out some little experiments before actually surrendering this idea to a latter time.

Reaching out for a group of blacksmiths and Magi, I decided to try with something I felt incredibly unsure of replicate with what little techniques was available to them to create things from metal.

I didn't have the resources to afford the construction of cannons, this reality settling the moment I had noticed how lacking the availability of bronze and other metals that could be used to best satisfy the requirements to built a full-fledged artillery division.

Which is why, instead of lamenting the inability to have loud cannons to aid my army, I decided to shift my attention to something far crazier but surprisingly _easier _to accomplish with the means allowed by the world's current understanding of metal-working.

Instead of giving out the instructions of the final product, I decided to divide the squad in the completion of various tasks, each being essential for the realization of the grandiose and incredibly devious plan I had concocted.

It was more because the individual works were difficult already for the group, and I had dreaded at what kind of madness would have come out from a full explanation.

It took them a full day to get all their objectives completed and the pieces well-inserted together to create… my victory ace.

It was early in the morning of the second day that I decided to give a proper run of the little thing that was now resting by my back thanks to some rope, and I had called Marcus and some of his trusted men to assist at the presentation of the gun.

The Commander was confused as to how a stick made with iron and wood would have been able to kill anyone without something to stab people with and… I didn't answer to that.

I merely grinned, while putting on the rudimentary scope I had built for this occasion.

Some targets, empty sacks filled with dirt and mud, had been set several meters away from where we were standing, the hill I had picked being far enough from the city's ear-sight as I began the test.

Taking aim, I let my chest tense up while my lungs carefully regulated my breathing as I took the first shot.

**Bang.**

Then the second.

**Bang.**

Then the-

**Bang.**

**Bang.**

**Bang.**

**Bang.**

**Bang.**

**Bang-**

**Ka-chink!**

The cartridge properly left its former location, and I took it in my right hand as I stared at the results.

The sacks had been punctured right where I had aimed, leaving me with a happy smile while I turned back to the soldiers and… they looked back at me with a shocked look.

"What the _fuck _was that?!" Marcus barked in utter surprise, his tone a mix of minor panic and giddiness at the resulting effects of my test.

I stared down at the little thing that was going to be mine from now on and I nodded.

"This is the future of war, Marcus," I hummed quietly while putting the rifle back by my shoulders. "And it will be the first step of many to see a full unification."

"Y-your majesty, that was… that was absurd. What is the name of such a powerful artifact?" One of the soldiers inquired in utter awe.

I blinked, looking again at the targets as dirt continued to leave through the holes that the sacks were now sporting.

"This is a rifle," I finally answered calmly.

"This could change everything, Kingly," The leader admitted with barely-veiled interest. "If we equip this to our bowmen they will-"

"Be left without much of a thing to use considering how 'expensive' this thing is," I concluded with a sad sigh. "The current reserves of the resources needed to produce this weapon are already low as they are, and we can't yet mass-produce them with how slow-paced the blacksmiths are with some of the objects contained within it."

A frown appeared on the older man's face and then he groaned. "You mean to tell me that you got us to see you use your newest toy, Kingly? That can save some men's lives-"

"And it will," I interjected with an annoyed huff, "But it will not be through multiple of those… but rather specialists that can use the rifles in the best manner possible. Which is why I will call a competition among archers and grant ten of these guns to the winners."

His eyes glinted realization at my explanation. "You want to give those to the men that are best capable of using them… by having archers prove who is their best bunch."

I nodded and sighed. "Still, I think it will take much more to truly unify the isles," I admitted quietly. "Rifles can do so much-"

"And that is why there are swords to use, Kingly," Marcus piped in eagerly, almost grinning for some strange reason. "Why, I think that now we can anticipate today's lesson with… a little run back to the castle."

I frowned a little at his words, but then I noticed the commander giving a knowing look at his men and then back at me…

I realized far too quickly what he was talking about and I started to bolt the moment they all took a step towards me.

Legs rushing fiercely away from my chasers, I felt my lungs burn up a little at the marathon I had to go through.

_All the while listening to the chuckles coming right behind me as I continued to run towards the castle's gates._

_**My God, I'm hating this bastard a lot!**_

* * *

After concluding this 'little exercise' with Marcus and returning back to my room to store the rifle and the used cartridge in one of the unused chests, I proceeded to go right to enjoy some pleasant dinner.

Reaching the large dining hall, I was greeted by several nobles that had already taken seat by the large table as I walked right up to where my chair was.

Taking a calm seat near to where Felicianus was, I started to enjoy some of the warm and delicious meal that one of the servants had prepared for me.

I was barely paying attention at the words being given by the bishop as he decided to go again with retelling how things have been going for the Church up until now, something that had become quite a habit for the leader of Christianity here in Londinium.

May it be lunch or dinner, may it be things that I was already aware about or new stuff, the man would giddily engage in quite the lengthy narration about what had happened that very day.

Altuos had given me a couple of advices to deal with this, stating that keeping a calm mind and merely ignore him would have been more than enough to avoid killing my brain with that boring instances while also dodging any unpleasant developments from replying badly to the bishop.

Yet as I paused mid-bite at about half the content of my plate, I noticed that someone was actually absent.

I turned to the unoccupied chair that was usually taken by Altuos and… blinked.

The elder would usually be there at this point, and if he had something keeping him busy he would have sent some message back to me about skipping the meal.

But no one had told me about any known delays from the head of the Magus Guild.

I blinked, perplexity bubbling deeply in my chest as I evaluated any issues that could have gotten the old man stuck with some assignments, perhaps something that made him unable to contact people for some time.

Still, how odd.

I finished lunch quietly and, once I was done with my meal, I proceeded to bid a good day to Felicianus, the Church's representative seemingly accepting my quick departure as I quickly went to see where Altuos could have been at that very moment.

I went around the quarters where the Magi lived, greeting a few of them as they calmly went through with their usual tasks while I walked right where the elder's office was.

The room was silent, there was no one inside and… that was starting to get me a little bit worried.

My search stretched all over the castle as I tried to check in all rooms where the old man could have been, wandering around mostly-aimlessly as I tried to find the elusive Magus.

About twenty minutes later, I found myself returning back on my steps, checking back for a couple more times the places I had already looked by and… I was confused.

This was the first time I had to deal with the elder disappearing so suddenly as he would usually be around in places where other people are crowding by… or at least somewhere in the castle.

I took a moment to rest for a moment, my legs still trying to recover from the unfair marathon I had to go through and I started to notice that a group of guards patrolling the castle were chuckling about something.

It wasn't the first time during my search that I saw some amused people walking around… but this situation was starting to spread around far too much with people chuckling and giggling about something.

Was I missing something or perhaps it was just a massive coincidence?

I merely shrugged to myself as I continued to look around for any clues where Altuos might have gone, finding this new situation less important considering that the elder going missing was far more important than any fun scenes.

It was about after ten more minutes of pacing in the halls that I finally heard one of the amused guards walking around mutter something.

"To think that… Lord Altuos could be so grandfatherly," The young-looking fellow said slowly to his older teammate, the second guard nodding while his lips twitched in what seemed to be an effort to keep his smile down.

I stopped and glanced at the two.

"Excuse me, you two," I mused quietly, getting both soldiers to pause and give me a proper salute the moment they noticed whom had stopped them.

"Y-Your Majesty, we didn't see you and-"

"There's no need to apologize," I interjected quickly, a serious glint filtering in my voice and drawing them to a tense posture. "You two were talking about Lord Altuos, and I wish to know where he is right now."

The two shared a strange look and then the oldest gulped nervously as the youngest continued.

"W-We can tell you where he is right now… but we feel like you should see by yourself what he's doing."

"My fellow guard is just saying that it would be 'funnier' if you checked on your own," The oldest reiterated appeasingly. "You will find him where the white-haired woman is."

I frowned at the confusing discussion, trying to make sense about what I've just heard but… I shrugged and, after saluting the guards, I marched right where Myasviel's room was.

More giggles and chuckles equaled to more confusion and suspicions about what was going on in that room and I prepared myself to brace for the worst scenario possible.

The path to reach the place was fairly short, but the tension was palpable just as I took the final steps towards the door.

There were two guards standing there as usual, but they looked fairly giddy about something as one of them was glancing inside the room with an amused look.

I blinked as I moved stealthily right to where these two were, avoiding getting caught by their sight as I positioned myself for some little fright.

"He-hem?"

The fake cough trick worked masterfully, both jumping in surprise as their panicking stares were now at me. Color drained from their faces as they saluted me stiffily.

"Y-Your Highness- We didn't mean to-"

"At ease, both of you," I interrupted with a groan. I was seriously starting to hate having to salute everyone here so formally and dully.

I was the king, yes, but that didn't mean that I had to be tortured like this so frequently!

Was this how Emperor Palpatine felt while going through that escalator scene back in that Robot Chicken's episode?

"Okay, what is going on inside there?" I inquired with an annoyed tone, both looking fairly nervous and the two merely stared at me in silence.

Like, they stopped working and for a moment I thought that I scared them to death.

Barely credible as a possibility, but it was more me being far too upset about everything to even try and get them to speak properly.

Instead of waiting for them to recover, I merely walked by the opening of the door and peeked inside.

The room was small, but modest enough to accommodate a good bed, a small chair by the bedside and some shelves by one of the walls.

I spotted Altuos sitting in the lone chair, in his lap a little book that he was reading out-loud while glancing at the young woman stuck in her bed.

The white-haired young woman had a little piece of cloth pressed by her forehead, her red eyes glancing fixedly at the old man as he continued to talk to her.

It took me a couple of seconds of listening to his words to understand that he was telling her… a fairy tale?

Pondering over his familiar description, I felt more and more drawn to the source of this tale and then I realized that he was narrating the 'Cicada and the Ant' tale, coming close to conclude the fable.

I waited patiently, listening as he went along with the last words of the tale and giving out the moral of the tale.

I was indeed confused by the sight, but I could easily deduce that it had to do with the fact that Mya looked to be fairly sick from where I was looking by.

Just as I thought how to properly enter in that simply endearing scene, my attention was caught by two red orbs now staring at me with a hint of curiosity and surprise.

"H-Hello," The soft voice of the woman emerged from the covers, getting a confused frown from the elder before I decided to reply back.

"Hello there, Myasviel," I responded calmly, this time causing Altuos to snap his sight back at me with utter surprise.

"Y-Your Majesty-"

"Don't stand up," I interrupted quietly as I took a step inside. "I suppose that's what got you busy to miss lunch."

His eyes widened even more. "D-Did I truly forget? I guess I lost my perception of time by-" He stopped, glancing at the childishly-confused look coming from the white-haired girl. "I decided to spend some time watching over Myasviel since she is currently dealing with a light fever."

Aren't fevers meant to be deadly in this period of time?

I blinked at the explanation. "I understand and… I guess that Mya is appreciating your tale-telling."

The young woman giggled at my comment and gave a solid nod through her blankets, ignoring the little red flush appearing on the man's face.

"I-I was just-"

"How about you go and get yourself a meal while I take over from here?" I inquired calmly, looking at the curiosity coming off from the white-haired magician's eyes. "I have some of my own fairy tales I can spare if needed."

Her eyes lit up at the mentioning of new stories and she gave a quick nod at my direction.

The elder frowned at my proposal, but nodded himself as he decided to trust me with this burden.

"I suppose I can get some meal prepared and-" He paused for a moment as he stood up and moved towards the entrance, stopping right in front of me. "Your Majesty, your magecraft lesson is still at the same time."

"In an hour or so, I know that," I added with a smile. "I will not miss it."

He smiled back before bidding a good day to both me and the feverish young woman, leaving me to deal with Mya.

I slowly walked inside the room, glancing at the now empty chair for some time before actually sitting on it and glance back at the magician.

The young woman was quietly humming in her warm covers, her eyes looking a little unfocused for a moment, causing me to worry a little about her conditions.

"Is everything alright, Mya?"

She blinked, focus slowly returning in her rubies as she glanced to the side where I was with a small smile.

"Just a little tired," The woman admitted quietly. "Is it… normal that it feels so hot there?"

"You need to sweat a little to get your body to react to your fever," I replied to her kindly. "But if it's too much, I can move one of the blankets away."

The white-haired girl pondered over my comment, seemingly giving some weight about my words before shaking her head negatively.

"I'm fine and..." Her smile widened. "Can you tell me a fairy tale?"

I gave her a small snort and I started to slowly narrate the story of Cinderella to her. It was novelty for her, especially since the closest thing to modern fables were the one written by Greek-Latin writers and those were meant to just teach lessons of life.

Cinderella and others were actually meant to just bring awe and relief to the listener, something that Mya much needed now that she was sick and in need of some comfort.

It was truly a strange scene for sure, but the young woman was thoroughly enjoying the narration of Snow White and also Red Riding Hood.

Yet it was as I concluded this last story that I found myself looking at her oddly, curious about what kind of secrets she was still holding from us all.

"Can I ask you something, Mya?" The question came out of a flimsy thought, having little to truly ask specifically to the young woman, but the white-haired lady blinked and nodded.

"Yes?" Her voice was frail, but she looked better than a couple of minutes earlier.

Her face was now a healthier color, or at least how it did look back when I captured her and… her eyes were now showing more energy than before.

"Are you happy?"

…

"Uhm?"

"I mean, ever since you were brought there, do you feel happy about the fact that-"

"You are nice," She interrupted quietly but with a kind voice, forcing me to silence for some moments.

"I didn't mean that-"

"Sir Altuos said that I was your prisoner," The young woman continued, ignoring my words. "But I always thought that being imprisoned was bad… yet this is nice. This isn't as bad as a couple of days ago and… that means you are nice too, right?"

_**That's just horrible.**_

I gulped down some nervousness, yet the sharp sensation coming from my chest at how distressing her words were was starting to get quite difficult to endure without showing some flinching from my part.

No one should be glad to be put in this situation. Nobody should just be happy in being keep stuck in a single room.

"Is that… so?" I poked once more, drowning a little uneasiness at the topic. "Are you truly happy?"

"I am," The young woman replied earnestly, a giggle following up. "In fact, I think being a prisoner was the best thing I could have hoped for."

_**This is so messed up...**_

"No one should be glad to be a prisoner, Mya," I retorted softly. "Bad people become prisoners and… the only reason you are here is because I think you weren't as bad to be killed."

She blinked, keeping quiet for a couple of moments and then… she smiled.

"I'm glad that you didn't hurt me then," The girl eagerly said, seemingly unaware of the horror growing on my face. "I suppose that I can be considered a 'bad person' too if it doesn't mean getting hurt."

By God, she was… so intelligent and so naive. How the fuck I'm supposed to brave through this?

I wasn't prepared to face this kind of conversation so suddenly, and yet I was.

"Mya," I pressed on with some worried tone. "You are not a bad person."

"But I'm a prisoner, right?" She poked back. "So I'm also a bad person."

I closed my eyes, taking a moment to calm down a little at that unpleasant development.

"_**Usually**_, people that are prisoners are also bad," I returned with a patient tone. "But you aren't bad."

She blinked, then she nodded.

"That's nice, I suppose."

"Nobody is going to hurt you," I continued with a calm voice, or at least I felt it being calm. Perhaps I was starting to crack a little, but I deluded myself of being fine with this circumstance.

I had dealt with many things in my life, but to face a victim of slavery and abuse? This was a novelty I wasn't sure how to move around without pressing any wrong buttons.

I think I've already messed up here and there… but I felt the need to continue.

"What they did to you was bad."

My statement got her to shuffle a little in her bed, her eyes gaining more focus onto me.

"But why was that bad?"

...What?

"It wasn't right," I replied quickly. "It wasn't fair."

"But is the world supposed to be wrong and unfair?" Mya inquired softly, almost certain of the answer.

And I was brought to a state of shocked silence.

This just wasn't the usual kind of conversations I was capable of going through without doubting about morality itself.

The world was flawed, there was no doubt about it, but I always held the belief that things couldn't just stumble so badly.

And I was proven wrong. Again.

But this time, I didn't fell on my butt. I didn't falter too much.

"Yes," I admitted with a sad tone. "But that doesn't mean that people can't try to make it right and fair."

She blinked, surprise swelling in her orbs. "Really?"

I nodded. "I want to make the world a nicer place, Mya," I continued with a smile. "That is why, when I looked at you that day… I saw a reason to brace forward."

"Brace… forward?"

"I saw hope. A desperate glint that was trying to hold against that sea of sadness," I replied calmly. "Everyone should be happy. Or at least those that wish for a peaceful life."

"I… deserve happiness too?" Something had changed in her tone, something had broken out in those words as she asked this.

"Yes. Yes, you do."

…

She closed her eyes, her smile widening even more and the young woman displayed the brightest smile possible.

"That's really nice to know," Mya stated happily. "Then I hope you will be happy yourself too."

I nodded at her, yet I didn't continue from there as I slowly stood up from my chair and… glanced at the door.

"Soon I will have my lesson with Altuos and," I glanced down at her with a sad smile. "I will see that some medic look at your sickness. I want you to recover."

The girl nodded with an eager look on her face. "Now, I want that too myself."

My smile twitched happily as I took a step towards the entrance, but then I stopped again.

"There is a nice garden here in the castle," I pointed out lightly. "I suppose you could visit it once you are healthy again."

I looked back at her and she looked at me with some awe. "Is it pretty?"

"One of the prettiest," I concluded with a genuine nod, finally moving by the door and opening it. "I hope you stay well from now on, Mya."

She giggled as I closed the door behind me, leaving the room with a saddened look.

I didn't move from the door, standing for a couple of seconds to stare distractedly away as I thought about her words and-

"Y-Your Majesty," Someone nervously called to the side and… the guards.

The two were now looking at me with some concern, clearly distressed by the posture I had assumed.

"I want one of you two to go and bring a healer to check on the girl's conditions," I ordered quietly. "She is sick and requires medical assistance."

Both tensed at the demand, but none moved at my words.

"Is- Is that prudent to-"

"I will not ask again," I interjected cooly. "She will have a healer to care for her illness."

They both nodded at the stern voice leaving my lips, and the bulkier decided to rush away as to find a free healer to bring to the room.

I walked away once he was out of my sight, my attention moving elsewhere and away from the current reality as I ended up thinking about that odd conversation.

It was the unnerving and distressing kind of odd, but also the enlightening and impressive one too.

I was confused, yet now I had some resolution over everything.

I thought about the Saxons, I thought about how many other people had to have been turned in slaves to be used in warfare or worse.

Yet I was so sure of one thing after this discussion.

_**Now I had a good personal reason to wage war against these bastards.**_

* * *

**AN**

**Brutality can be born from innocence, and the broken shall be the wisest.**

**For FFN readers: The rifle is a M1 Garand. The reason why he bypassed certain limits that only steel allows to is… magecraft! (Since the effect can be prevented with natural phenomena, then it can be reproduced through Magecraft.)**

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**k o-fi . com (slash) justbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**EatMyIceCream: He will get some (first) boost very soon. It will be a surprise since I will make use of an element of Arthurian Legends that is rarely used in this kind of FSN stories.**

**BlueCore: It will be upgraded.**

**SunOfSunGod: This is the Age of Faes, the final period before the Age of Man. The Age of Gods ended during the Roman Empire.**

**RoyalTwinFangs: I think the closest thing to him in terms of personality is Richard Lionheart from Fate/Strange Fake.**

**Lord Pyrus: There will be a Round Table, but it will not be made by just the 'usual knights'.**


	7. Restoring the Kingdom (2)

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**F/SN, F/Z, F/KPI and other products related to the Fate Series are all owned by TYPE-MOON, Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 6****: Restoring the Kingdom (2)**

* * *

Two more days passed, and the situation at the castle proved to be somewhat stable despite several bumps I had to deal with.

Despite my initial intent of making sure that the army under my command would have been able to muster up ten rifles to have some advantage with what I had planned with the military, I ended up realizing that five was the best that could be produced with what was available to the city's blacksmiths.

With the lack of modern tools to properly optimize the mining operations of the region, the quantity available had already been depleted in the creation of standard weaponry like swords, daggers and even shields.

It was an annoying development that crushed the little expectation I had hoped to accomplish in a limited amount of time.

Every advantage was a must for the sake of properly conquer the rest of the isles, but perhaps I was aiming a little too high with my current disposition.

Despite my royal title, my kingship was still limited to the regional area of Modern London, and the full control of this very section of England was just stable enough to allow proper trading and diplomatic actions.

With the first activities of the newly-formed 'Londinium Police Regiment' ending up sweeping numerous nests of bandits in these last few days, the means for people to finally travel around without having to worry for any attack increased the amount of trips between Londinium proper and the other villages around.

Some diplomatic envoys from some of the nobles ruling part of the settlements finally arrived, requesting audience for the sake of formalizing the legal submission to my code of rules.

It was nothing legitimate or binding to any of those morons, but it would at least reduce the inward warring between them. At least until I was capable of properly reigning them him without risking some ugly rebellion.

The farmers that were finally free to return to work back to their farms decided to gradually implement my advices as I had mentioned moderation for the sake of avoiding any issues with the current state of the land.

I wasn't going to get hasty because of the recent successes, but I was also annoyed at the fact that the results would take much more than a couple of days to see some improvements… or not.

On a more positive note, I was more than happy to hear that Mya safely recovered from her fever without any complications.

I decided to not inquire too deeply about the medical assistance provided, knowing pretty well that while Altuos had provided some presence in keeping watch over the young woman, the majority of the work was all done by the healers that were sent to help her out once I was done with that interaction.

I had visited a couple more of times, entertaining the harmless lady with some more tales, straying a little to include some that had yet to be conceived, but always sticking by the more easygoing ones.

The talks were pleasant, and I was glad that none of the gloomy subjects that had seen me actually pale at the situations she had to have gone through with her life were actually brought up in those conversations.

She was happier, I could see the white-haired girl actually_ sounding_ like she was genuinely enjoying the company and the discussions… but still reluctant to give out more information about her own past.

I decided that there was no fret, after all the paperwork was doing its best to put me in a state of constant irritation over the little issues arising within the castle.

With the lack of a constant danger threatening their livelihood, I had to deal with flimsy problems that were starting to emerge just now and I was once more reminded that I was dealing with pre-feudal society.

The king was considered a messenger of God, someone that had been entrusted by the Christian Deity (or the Celtic ones) to lead them towards a shiny future.

My actions had confirmed this mentality, especially with the Church praising restlessly my successes as the undeniable evidence of the Lord commanding His will against the infidels.

It was good PR to gain more people to joining the military or the growing productive classes within the city, but I was slowly realizing that this situation could easily become a double-edged weapon without proper attention from my part.

Felicianus might sound to mean well with his speeches towards me, but it would take just an unflattering mistake that I might end up committing that I could see this praise become a dangerous insult to face right now.

Excommunication was still not a thing that the Church had 'developed' and I was pretty sure that the Pope would care little about what is going on here with the British Isles now that he was dealing with Odoacer taking over Italy.

But I wasn't certainly going to ignore the magnitude religion still had in this period, even though Christianity was hardly believed into by a large majority of Britain's population.

Taking under considerations any possible variables of internal instability, I moved quickly to continue the preparations for the expeditionary forces I was ready to lead right into the undefended coastal region under barbarians' control.

The general plan was simple as it was based more on a primitive version of Sherman's March to the Sea, with it developing from the destruction of Barbarian settlements along the way, and the destruction of the large fleet that had led the horde within the Isles.

I had thought about going as far as burning the fertile fields along the way, but I was rebuked by two substantial detail I was keen to not make mistakes about.

First thing first, was the impact it would have had in public opinion as many citizens were well-aware that there was a distinct conduct of warfare that just couldn't see the utility of destroying resources that would need to be conquered.

While soldiers could see the importance of shattering any food the massive armies of barbarians could get their hands on, the rest was blissfully unwilling to even consider doing anything about it.

And that is until I ignored the fact that the fields themselves weren't what truly sustained the bulk of their raiders, but something that offered opportunity to settle properly in the territory.

Most of the supplies came through the fleet that continuously moved in the North Sea to take these from the tribes that had stayed behind in Northern Germany.

With the standing army that was formed by those men that had decided to remain after the first skirmish had gone through five days of intense drilling under Marcus' strict watch, I was ready to take a large part of it to march directly into the ports that were currently being used by the barbarians to set those on fire.

I had completely healed from my own injuries, and I felt certain that my current fighting capacity was good enough to keep up with the duress of the campaign before me…

And yet I was forced to take a couple of step backs at Marcus' and Altuos' insistence.

The leader of the Magus Guild mentioned how there was no one that could have kept things stable if I had departed so suddenly, while the commander pointed out a strange anecdote that he had once heard from some Latin scholar.

_**When Rome is under threat, the Emperor is meant to stay there and defend it personally, no matter how pressing other issues might be.**_

In layman's terms, I was going to be sticking around Londinium for the time being until the city itself was safe from any inner or outward threat to it… thus leaving the task of marching to break the back of our enemies right to the second-best choice as military leader.

Marcus was… annoyed by this development much to my legitimate surprise.

Strangely enough, he had been sounding quite skeptical about attacking the still-dangerous group of invaders right by their lair, mentioning how there could have been some traps lurking on the path and that there was more than a good reason to be concerned over garrisons set by the settlements that were meant to be targeted.

His uneasiness lessened when I mentioned that it wouldn't have been a swift strike, but rather an orderly and careful advance that was going to be supplanted by a couple of Magi that were meant to work both as supports to the fight and a mean to keep in contact with Londinium.

Two enchanted book that were capable of showing the messages written on the pages of each other. It was something innovative for warfare, but also quite limiting as it didn't offer proper visuals and the books could be stolen by some thieves or even by the enemy themselves.

And both predicaments were not something I wished to entertain about even by just thinking of those and… I was quick to provide some extra details over the contingencies to the commander, sure that some obstacles along the way were meant to be there to delay their efforts.

With a quick greeting by the main gates of the city, I made sure to follow the punitive group by the entrance of the city, waiting there and looking as the marching soldiers walked with moderation towards the thick forest in front of them.

Marcus had sounded convinced just a couple of hours before leaving the city, and yet I couldn't help but feel uneasy at the fact I would have just a limited insight over what the army was going to be doing without my personal presence there.

I was by no mean trying to undermine his leadership… but I wasn't going to deny the fact that the mission was going to be a risky one where lives would have to be sacrificed for its success.

Sure, the advance was as cautious as it best worked with the situation, but there was nothing that protected the group from an unexpected army having ditched the need of fortifying the northern border against the Lothians.

With a blank expression on my face and my next step from there being to return to Altuos, I was quick to make my way to where the elder had his personal office.

The walk was quiet and uneventful, ending with me reaching to knock at the closed room that led to where the old man was possibly dealing with his own share of paperwork.

Once I was granted permission to enter, I resumed my studies under the proper guidance of the experienced Magus.

The lesson diverged from the standard theory, and moved right to a piece of history I was particularly 'unaware' about.

Altuos had already mentioned that there was some truth within the words about deities from antiquity, but the Gods weren't just some humanoid with divine powers… they were beings that transcended humanity in terms of magical prowess.

Actively interested in manipulating human lives, their existence was something of a unique treat compared to more mortal existences.

The real surprise? Their divinity wasn't as elevated as those were mentioned in old texts, nor they were as infinite as they appeared to be.

Divine Spirit, that was the correct the denomination for the various beings that was denominated as 'God' in both Hellenic and Latin Mythologies.

Creatures that were powerful but also weakened by the passing of time, the decline of the time period where magic was a common thing in people's lives.

The Age of Gods.

There were surprising events that accelerated the passing of this era, the best-known ones being the death of King Solomon and the birth of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

The beginning of a revival of magic, now turned so unique and rare that just a couple of individuals are prepared to make use of what is left of it.

The Magicians, those capable of using the kinds of Magic that are still usable in this new world order.

Gaia, the will of the planet, represents the ultimate watcher of any dangerous threat against Earth itself, sometimes finding humans responsible for these atrocities, and Alaya, the will of mankind.

This last detail drew me to a confused frown and I inquired over what true purpose Alaya actually had towards humanity as a whole.

The answer was… odd. There wasn't truly one to give at that question of mine, yet Altuos admitted that the Will of Mankind was something that worked to make sure that no threat 'outside humanity itself' could inflict any damages to the mankind as a whole.

There were exceptions were certain men and women were killed early on for the impact they would cause with their mere presence to the rest of mankind, but those were rare cases that couldn't optimally shape the true nature of Alaya's intervention within the world.

The lesson then moved to something I had completely ignored about… and that was dreadfully important about magecraft as a whole.

The dangers of revealing the mystery of Magecraft.

While the Age of Gods has concluded, this new one still was in steady decline towards the final moments of magic as a whole concept.

Magic existed through the declining passage that connected the world to the Swirl of the Root.

A place beyond material existence, beyond the metaphysical and deep within what I've decided to define as the 'Eternally Absolute Plane'.

An abstract domain that was correlated to everything in the world, while somehow also keeping detached by some true attachment to the planet.

Time, memories, existential opportunities, ideals, dreams, Heavens, and Magic.

The more I listened to the elder's words, the more I was being reminded of a term I had studied back in High School.

Hyperuranion. The Perfect Realm of Forms, the Platonic Realm, the place where every ideas was connected to the objects they represented.

The Heavenly plane where true divinity is kept from the world, where the individuality is conceptualized to all sentient beings.

Writing down some notes that would require some extra pondering over the matter, I was eventually told what truly made the current position of the Magus Guild a complicated one especially now that I was starting to make use so publicly of magecraft-created objects.

The magical degradation was connected to the awareness of the world as a whole of the true origins of Magic itself, the Root.

Up until now, the only reason why the decline of the supernatural power had been so slow and not-so worrying was connected to the fact nobody had ever inquire about the true reasons creating the process itself.

Only Magi were aware of the beginning of the process, from where the magical spell was materialized and conceptualized, thus keeping the 'Mystery of the Root' going even now that I putting so much pressure on them.

It was something that left me in a mix of embarrassment and mortification, even pushing me to apologize to the old man despite the lack of annoyance over the matter, but I was quick to take under consideration this matter once I was done with the lesson.

Some proper regulations were hopefully going to to be the best solution possible to this awkward flaw that I had to cover about without having to explain much to people.

To think that there is actually an even greater limitation about magecraft, I was left with an annoyed mood despite the pleasant tune of the discussion born from that topic.

And with that lesson concluded with the elder, I eventually decided to return to my office, ready to headbutt against the paperwork once more as to deal with this new development that required my utmost attention now more than ever.

Yet, with my full attention diverted to make some preventive ordinances to answer to this dangerous predicament, I found myself dealing with far more than I had expected to as I would soon realize by the time I was well engrossed by the writing that someone had come to visit from afar to seek a private meeting with me.

Someone that I hadn't expected would have come to my court of all places...

* * *

My silent duty of signing and writing the reports required to limit the means for the people in the castle to discover the Mystery of the Root was one that went smoothly for about a full hour.

I was delving deep with the big law I was formulating to make sure that there was no opening left about the troublesome discovery when I heard someone knocking at the door.

At first I was confused, fairly sure that Altuos had mentioned that he would have been busy with some duties as guild-master and with Marcus being away from Londinium I was sure it wasn't him.

Yet, despite my surprise at this unexpected event, I decided to allow whoever was on the other side of the door to enter.

At the end of my verbal response, the door opened as a tall man with dark-purple armor entered inside.

He looked fairly young, his plum-colored hair kept short and his face shaven of any beard. His violet eyes were lost to the spacious room for a couple of moments before he finally fixed his stare right onto my figure, his body tensing up in a state of brief embarrassment.

Soon he moved, kneeling down before me much to my following surprise and discomfort at the thought of how much cumbersome that action had to have been to accomplish with the armor he was wearing.

"King Joseph, it's an honor making of your acquaintance," The stranger muttered with a strong and formal voice.

I blinked at the presentation, still confused about the suddenness of the situation and the lack of knowledge about whom I was talking to.

Plus, how the heck does someone get purple hair in this place and time?

My musing was interrupted when I noticed that the man looked quite strained by the current posture and I hummed. "You can stand up, good sir," I mentioned with quick words, then gesturing at the chairs. "And take a seat. I see that you are tired and in need of some rest."

He complied, but the surprise visible on his face about the second request delayed him actually taking a seat by one of the available chairs.

The wood groaned a little under that weight, but it held well the presence of the man.

"Thank you, your Highness," The armored stranger replied with a relieved tone. "It's been a long journey that has seen me arrive here in Londinium and… I've barely rested along the way."

I blinked again, this time my confusion intensifying with the 'eagerness' displayed by the man to come here in this city.

"I assume it was a draining experience," I commented quietly about it. "Still, if it isn't too much to inquire… may I know what is your name, good sir?"

There was some silence that succeeded my query, the man's eyes widening again as he tensed up at my question.

"I… I thought that my visit was known and expected," He explained with a surprised tone. "In fact, I was told by Commander Marcus Ambrosius that your Highness had been alerted of my visit beforehand-"

"Well, I wasn't aware of anyone important visiting by Marcus, nor I know whom I'm talking to," I replied with a frown. "Do you have anything that could help with this claim? Letters about this situation perhaps?"

The man blinked, reaching from the leather pouch hanging by his side as he pulled out a rolled parchment out of it.

He settled it by the table and I slowly reached for it as I started to slowly read the content of the letter.

I was surprised that despite the fact that in this period there were just so little means for the military leader to have actually sent this letter across the pond, and even more that he hadn't addressed the letter properly to the receiver, that it actually reached the young man sitting in front of me.

Maybe it was the result of some contacts he had in France? The prick had mentioned that he had some old companions still stationed there, so I could see him actually make use of his contacts in the territory to send the letter right up to the individual I was now dealing with.

Quietly reading the paper, I spared a couple of glances at the armored figure, noticing his eyes scanning distractedly at the rest of the room, seemingly still trying to get hold of the various things held within it.

I closed the paper and nodded.

"This is Marcus's calligraphy, and I can say the signature is authentic," I finally judged, drawing the man's attention back to me. "Yet, he never mentioned you by your name. Calling you 'kid' and 'brat' most of the time."

He sported some color on his face at the mentioning of those 'affectionate' terms that the Commander was keen to make use around people he trusted and 'cared' to a certain degree.

"It's always like that."

"Oh, I know that myself," I admitted with a hum, gaining a surprised look from the guy. "Let's just say that being king doesn't grant immunity to sassy comments from him."

He blinked, a small smile settling on his face.

"I understand," He said with a nod, then he showed a serious look. "But I've yet to introduce myself, and I should do this properly."

It took him a blink of an eye to move out of his seat and once again, he was kneeling in front of the desk.

"King Joseph, I'm Lancelot du Lac, Knight of the Lake." He bowed his head. "It's an honor to have been invited at your court, and I will understand if you find it proper to refuse me entrance at this unexpected visit."

…

What the hell!

Like really, I was trying my best to appear genuinely kind with those that showed so much respect to me, but I was stomped for a couple of seconds by that unexpected introduction for numerous reasons that were currently hindering my capacity to react properly.

Lancelot, one of the best-known characters in the Arthurian Legend. A man that was once considered the most loyal knight of the Round Table, and one of the most memorable ones, before he ended up falling in love with Queen Guinevere, wife of King Arthur himself.

I pondered over this notion, knowing full well that there were multiple versions of the infamous betrayal, but none actually came close to explain why Lancelot did what he ended up doing after so many years serving his King.

He had to have met Guinevere previously, yet the infatuation had sparked much later in the legendary King's rule… and that just sounded like some deep manipulation.

Perhaps Morgan had some hands in it? Maybe she was responsible for forcing the collapse of the Round Table, weakening her mortal adversary so that she could send Mordred in to finish the job.

Still, now that he was here at my court, what was I going to do about this?

Marcus had mentioned for him to actually join the court on a permanent basis, pointing out that both his sword and mine… **matched.**

It was an odd use of the term, but I suppose it has to do with the fact that Lancelot's sword was always mentioned as something of a mystery.

Many considered it to be 'Secace' or 'Seure', while others thought its name was 'Joyeux'.

There was only a couple of sparse cases where it was also named Arondight, but the latter instance was rarely mentioned about this very denomination.

So it wouldn't be that much of a surprising discovery if the sword itself revealed to be as magically-enchanted as Crocea Mors.

"Stand up, Sir Lancelot," I muttered while biting down a groan at the perfectly-visible pained look on his visage. "And please, don't kneel down like this ever again if you're wearing that armor. Bowing suits you better to avoid any unneeded strains."

He blinked, looking sheepish at the calm reply, and he stood up with a small smile once more occupying his lips.

"I understand, your Highness," The knight answered politely. "But still, I've yet to hear your answer about my stay here."

Quite the impatience fellow, I deduced from that rebuttal but I was still thinking what I should do about him.

As good as a knight he might be, I was also terribly aware of what might led to a war against King Arthur himself.

Magical trick or not, I wasn't going to try my luck by having the knight ever come close to the Queen of Camelot if I decided to let him stay at my court.

There were risks like there were some possible rewards at taking that gamble, but considering that every help now was a need, I decided to see how far my dumb fortune will have me go.

_**At least I can say I did the rodeo of my life.**_

"Considering the recommendation advanced by Commander Marcus, and since I'm aware of some of your reputation back from your time spent in Gallia," I started to mention with a careful tone of voice, trying to keep anything that could tell him about my ultimate decision. "I suppose you are allowed to stay at my court, and to serve me as a Knight as long as you wish, Child of Nimue."

He tensed up a little, his posture displaying full shock at my comment as I supposed he wasn't aware of my knowledge about his past.

"I've heard about your upbringing, Knight of the Lake," I continued with a nod. "I'm aware of your chivalrous nature, of your goodness. I wish for you to be by my side from now on, I wish for you to help me bring good peace to the Isles."

His tension eased, his stare showed some understanding light at my words and… he sighed.

"Your words weighs me a lot, for they sound as genuine as proper of a good king," Lancelot finally replied with a happy voice. "I've met greedy man, I've met liars, and I've seen the tragedy of those that strayed from their outstanding dreams."

…

"This is why I will join you, King Joseph," The man confessed with a determined tone. "For I believe that, like Marcus has told me in his letters, your potential to bring true stability to not only Britain, but to the World as a whole is there to be fully unraveled."

I was slightly stunned by this sudden comment, but I gave him a slow nod.

"Thank you for giving me this trust," I muttered with genuine thankfulness. "And… wait, letters?"

I've read just a single letter, one that was particularly short and there were more of those? And what kind of stuff did Marcus write him about?!

At the mentioning of this detail, Lancelot looked quite hesitant as he reached once more deep in his pouch and pulled out… even more papers that were there for me to read.

Five letters, all of them sent on a daily basis ever since I've met with the Commander.

Each of those mentioning the first meeting, the following spars, some sassy comments about my spars and… some legitimate praises directed all at me.

I was stuck silent at reading and re-reading the parchments for some time, lost in that brief instance of being revealed that there was some pride in the fact he was teaching me.

Despite the fact that I've been at odds with the old soldier for some time now, I was always curious to know about the guy's thoughts about my own progress.

There wasn't much of a compliment among the drills, never much of a positive comment when sparring and… it was always felt like getting dragged around so suddenly and so mercilessly.

It felt annoying, it felt irritating, and yet merely reading that he did found some of my improvements worth of pridefully highlight in his usual sassy style was… kind of flattering.

It felt worthwhile, it made all the sweat and blood given for pushing my body right up to a proper path to stand up to the adversities more than important. It was a need, it was a must… and it was something that I had to work on diligently from now on.

Then I finally blinked out from that daze, noticing that Lancelot had been staring at me with a certain degree of curiosity.

I coughed nervously, making him look away at the fact I had noticed his glance on me.

"I suppose you will need some proper rest now," I hummed with some calm. "If you ask one of the guards at my door, they will escort you to the proper room that Marcus has set for you."

He gave a swift nod, probably unwilling to face any awkward development from this point onward and followed my words by starting to reach for the door, lips twitching in preparation for some quick words before leaving.

"Your Majesty… you can keep the letters if you need," Lancelot mentioned with a careful voice, gaining my full attention again. "I'm sure that… it will do you well if you keep those for now."

I blinked at that comment, almost ready to narrow my eyes at that and inquire more about this situation but… I had yet to conclude my paperwork and I could forgive some indirect annoyance.

"I will keep those until dinner," I answered with a sigh. "Once I will have you introduced properly to the court, I will see for those to be returned."

He nodded, giving me little else comments as he left me alone in my office… among papers and _papers_.

I took a deep breath, returning back to my seat with a drained posture as I took the letter I had discarded just a couple of moments ago, and resumed my reading.

...

_**Wait, what does Marcus mean that he actually had a sword behind him when he gave me that 'sword-finding' test?**_

* * *

**AN**

**To think that last chapter would spark quite the outrage from some!**

…

**I don't know if I should feel flattered by some of the comments or outright irritated at the incredible lack of culture from some people.**

**But no insulting from me, I'm well-beyond matching foul words with even more foul words and I think it's best to make some clarifications to avoid any future issues.**

**1) Age of Fae/Fairies: It's a period between the Age of Gods (which culminates with the birth of Jesus, possibly because he is the first First Magic Magician), and the Age of Man. It's called as such because the period saw many grand heroes and figures being influenced by good and bad Faes (Morgan is somewhat regarded as an evil Fae rather than just a Witch). This 'term' is not fake, but mentioned in both Lord El-Melloi II Cases and Garden of Avalon. The End of the Age of God wasn't started by Solomon's death, but by Gilgamesh disavowing Gods and forcing them to become Divine Spirits;**

**2) Guns in Pre-Feudal times: It's a big shot to instantly pull out a Colt Magnum out from Plot-powered BS, but it isn't certainly a strange thing to see the combination of Magecraft to refine the metal-working techniques and develop rifles. Five, considering that mine-working is not something that our MC considered well about. Also five guns with limited ammo, have some mercy on this author, will ya?**

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**k o-fi . com (slash) justbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**EatMyIceCream****: Possible Lancelot Fanboy? Why not.**

**Sultan Asil Arslan****: Not until a little bit later in the story.**

**RadioPoisoning****: Morgan is going to mess up something that one shouldn't actually mess up with.**

**Guest 1 (Chapter 6)****: I don't think that's how much strong some people were back at the time. Or there wouldn't have been a Britain to begin with. There were some strong guys, but most of those were people that had some means to attain powers through Fae-given blessings, Mage's boosts, or maybe even grand Curses. Still, I would pay to see bulky version of the Knights of the Round Table pulling some Dragon Ball moves.**

**Guest 2 (Chapter 6)****: A Magician is not a True Magic User. To make some prime examples: Zelretch is a Magician and so he can only use the True Magic assigned to his main element, in this case the Kaleidoscope; Medea/Caster from FSN is a True Magician, someone that can use a large arsenal of True Magic spells considering she was alive during the full period of the Age of Gods.**

**AO Black****: Crocea Mors will receive an upgrade.**


	8. Restoring the Kingdom (3)

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**F/SN, F/Z, F/KPI and other products related to the Fate Series are all owned by TYPE-MOON, Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 7****: Restoring the Kingdom (3)**

* * *

It was about 4 in the morning, my attention span was drastically impaired, and I was trying my best to match up the intensity displayed by my spar partner.

Most of the city was still sleeping, with just a handful of guards still wandering around for the late night shift.

The barracks were empty, with just Lancelot and I giving noise to what should've been a silent place.

As per my advice, the man had dropped the use of his armor for this occasion, revealing a lean but tall figure that certainly proved that some important characters within the Arthurian Legends were going to be quite interesting to deal with if those matched up with the frame of the Knight of the Lake.

It's been just two days since the man had reached the city, and the knight had slowly but surely started to get accustomed to the life within the Londinium.

An observant individual, I was half-worried that I would've found myself dealing with someone that would've questioned some of my current decisions regarding my military organization.

There wasn't much honor or 'fairness' within the tactics allowed to the few captains serving under me, and so I was concerned about any critics over the rule of conduct displayed by some of soldiers.

Much to my surprise and delight, Lancelot seemed to mind little over the changes of what I knew was the 'ideal Knight', yet I was also taken unaware when I was asked for some sparring just as I wandered around the castle.

Sleeping had been eluding me for a while now, and I was well-aware that it was all caused by the hints of nervousness over this subject but also by the fact that there was going to be some retaliation from what had just happened the day before.

My thoughts were directed away from the castle as I continued to contemplate over the recent news reaching back home from the small attack force sent against the eastern shores.

The attack was a success, numerous ships were destroyed in the raid and numerous people between prisoners and civilians had decided to submit to Commander Marcus' command.

The man was making a slow return back to Londinium with this glorious victory, there was no doubt in my mind that with the abysmal number of casualties reported during the assault this was probably the best outcome possible.

With Marcus scoring such a troublesome victory for the invaders, there was no reason to just ignore the fact that it was now their turn to act at this aggression.

And knowing that they now had a terribly limited amount of food and other important resources, I prepared for quite the desperate attack against Londinium.

I had already started to prepare some contingencies.

None were as desperate as sometime ago as planting some explosives now with the other traps would've spelled huge problems for the group returning back to the city.

The new recruits that had joined in the standing army in Londinium had started to follow proficiently the instructions that were being forwarded by the 'Drill Captain' that had been left in charge by Marcus before leaving for the expedition.

The reports depicting the current state of the military force were satisfactory considering the chances of having to deal with any unexpected attacks.

While we had the sea and a civil war hindering any assaults from the south and west respectively, the east being currently taken care of by some attentive strikes, there was just a silly problem caused by the nations in the north.

The Petty Kingdoms.

While King Lothian was the absolute ruler in the land of the Picts, his current administration was as fragmented as the rest of the other proto-nations existing as of now.

His fiefs answered to his banners, but the local rule was decentralized among the Petty Kings.

In the original timeline, those wouldn't have mattered early on because of the Anglo-Saxon invasion sweeping them all off from their pretty chairs to accommodate new 'little' monarchs.

But now that they had been granted time and space to breath away from facing the invaders, there was no hesitation within my mind that I could've seen some probing raids happening anytime soon from the north.

This is why, despite all the successes and good events granting me some decent position where to stay perched and explore all eventualities within this time period, I wasn't keen to just drop my guard now of all time.

This is why, despite all the drowsiness trying to push me to seek some rest, I still decided to try out my hand at sparring with Lancelot.

With the two of us having decided to leave our blades to the side to use the practice sword available to avoid any unpleasant development, I soon found out that there was a huge different of skills between him and me.

And I wasn't mad about losing, quite the contrary.

It was quite an achievement to be training with one of the most famous knights in medieval literature, and even getting my ass handled so quickly and frequently by the stern deliveries from the Knight of the Lake, I still managed to keep a sportive attitude around the bashful man.

Everytime I was sent falling on the floor, I would find myself subjected with some concerned questions from my opponent over my state.

It was odd because it wasn't the strict behavior from Marcus that tended to divest little praise during the spars, but I was quite surprised by how genuine the queries were.

In the end the spars persisted for three full hours as I finally found my body ready to collapse on the ground at the struggle it had to go through, while Lancelot had surprisingly looked a little winded by the lengthy session.

Once we were done with training, we decided to make our way by the dining hall.

During the walk, a little conversation among us started and I felt intrigued by the overall politeness coming from the man.

I yawned a little as I nodded at his latest question.

"Arthur has the best chances of coming out on top compared to the other claimants," I replied with a tired tone, trying my best to offer the best I could over something that the man had already heard about. "His father was the former King, he got Merlin, and he also got Caliburn to legitimize his claim over the throne."

"Still, how do you know that he will end up winning?" The plum-haired fellow inquired with some interest. "There are some undeniably dreadful odds stacked against him."

I blinked. "There are two real elements that make his ascension a reality. Merlin and… Morgan."

The knight paused for a moment, his surprise turning into a perplexed frown.

"You're referring to Morgan Le Fay?"

The question felt drenched in some dreadful hesitation, which I replied with a sigh and a nod.

"Morgan is Arthur's older sister. While her prime objective is to see him killed for having 'stolen' her right to rule, she would never allow someone else to just steal her kill. It has to be her responsibility, either directly or indirectly," I explained slowly and pondering over the case as I hadn't confirmed a certain dilemma behind Morgan's own upbringing.

Arthur was the result of the adultery of King Uther with Ingraine, the wife of King Gorlois of Cornwall, but his older sister's own status was doubtful at best.

Some debates that she was the youngest legitimate daughter to Gorlois, yet there were plenty of sources that said otherwise and that both siblings were result of adultery.

And while the argument itself was interesting because it served to gauge properly the 'favoritism' displayed by Uther in picking Arthur as his heir, there was no change in how I perceived the dangerous sorceress.

Especially with how our first and last encounter had happened and gone.

I was still wary of any sudden appearances from the woman, questioning more than once to Altuos about the precautions adopted to make sure this circumstance never happened ever again.

The elder was certain of his hard-work, thus I just accepted his sureness as proof of it.

"So she wants to kill her brother… but doesn't want anyone else doing this without her blessing?" Lancelot pressed a little more, clearly confused by this comment. "Forgive me for questioning this topic, milord, but I've to say that I found this interest from her quite absurd."

"It's more of an obsession," I corrected quietly, nodding at him as we turned another corners of the few ones remaining to reach the dining hall. "Morgan sees Arthur as not only her natural enemy, but also the very symbol that saw her forced to marriage and denied of her chances to have her own kingdom."

The knight nodded at this, his confusion lessening at this answer. "Truly a complicated woman."

"More like insane and to avoid at all costs," I corrected again, taking a moment to glance around and wave at the nearby two guards patrolling the corridor we were in. "And I want to warn you from even staying in the same room as she is without any strong magical protection."

"My time spent with Nimue helped me develop some resilience to most foul magicks," Lancelot pointed out with a small smile. "But I will be on guard if she manages to get close to us."

I blinked at that very part, almost flattered by that determination to keep close by the time any bad thing happened.

"You truly are a loyal man to your ruler," I praised with a quick nod. "And I'm glad that you accepted to stay here."

He seemed to tense up a little, looking quite flustered by my words.

"You're being too kind, milord," Lancelot replied with a hint of nervousness. "And I can't help but consider you a good candidate to rule this isles. I can see it from the way your people look at you."

I sighed. "The way they… look at me?"

"As I've said already, I've met my own share of good people having their morals tainted by the burden entrusted to them," The knight started to answer, his voice rising to a curious hum. "Yet you don't seem endeared by this position, you look… wary. Careful, yet ready to go forward towards the unknown."

"That's because nothing is done if fear judges my steps," I pointed out with a nod. "The fear of failing? To see someone die? Or perhaps the thought of denying my people a hope to live a better life? Those are worries that will never go away, I can feel that. And yet I can't just accept the concerns as precepts to not improve and expand, to dare and succeed."

"But you sound so human and… caring," The man continued to say. "I understand that you're young, but you still give off a degree of… confidence one would find only in an older person."

…

"Are you calling me an old man, Lancelot?" I asked with a hint of mischievousness, drawing a surprised look from the knight before he started to apologize profusely.

Finally I chuckled at the amusing reaction and nodded at his words.

"I understand about what you're referring with these words," I confessed with a sigh. "But I can already say that it's not truly something coming from within me, or at least not to the degree it might sound like."

"What are you trying to say, milord?"

"As a knight, you've to show a degree of personality that doesn't usually match to your usual attitude," I answered quietly. "When there is a threat, you've to show coldness and bravery in amounts that aren't usually present or visible in your daily life."

…

"As a King, I've to bring out maturity and wisdom, both of which can be sometimes prove to be fault but… it's my confidence and trust in my own capacities, to not concede defeat at the first failure that makes me capable of lunge forward," I explained with some more detail. "I know that these elements are part of my essence, that those are there and they are mine to use- but up until now there wasn't a reason, a purpose, to see me bring up those before anyone. I've a duty, I've a responsibility-"

"And you can't fail by not giving your fullest," The knight calmly interrupted, nodding at my logic. "It's admirable, but somewhat saddening that someone like you is forced to be 'older' for the sake of giving joy to everyone else."

I shrugged. "Sometimes we can't just get what we truly want from a glorious job, the burden will still be there."

"And yet you will hopefully keep trying to find your own gratification from their happiness," Lancelot pointed out. "As this is your final objective."

I blinked again, this time humming quietly as we finally ventured inside the dining hall.

There were plenty of people already waiting inside and I spotted Altuos and Felicianus once again 'bickering' about something from the deepest section of the central table.

I took a moment to sigh, pondering just for a moment over the words from the honest knight.

While I was still having some trouble fitting well with my newest burden, with all the requirements I've to fit with because of my role, I couldn't help but feel happier to know that I was going the right way.

Slow and steady wins the race, there was no reason to deny that, but I was glad to know that I wasn't just seeing things with the recent successes.

I've prevented the destruction of Londinium's former administration, the expansion of the Anglo-Saxon invaders and… perhaps made the first efforts required to outright rule over the British Isles.

I knew the road was a long one, with various dangerous contenders like Arthur, Morgan, Vortigern, and Lot… but I needed to push even harder if I wanted to even have a chance of bring harmony in these lands.

If Arthur failed to bring perpetuity in his kingdom despite a prophecy proclaiming this to the truth, there was no way for me to just stand aside and let the chaos persist.

And so, before Lancelot was well away from my sight, I sighed and nodded.

"And hopefully, I will manage to accomplish it."

* * *

The garden within the courtyard was truly a beauty to look at and enjoy in this very part of the day.

Lancelot had decided to spend some time around helping with Felicianus. The Bishop making quite the surprising decision to give some queries to the knight, intrigued by the presences of Faes that 'were making God's work'.

The idea on itself was odd, but not completely shocking as since I've offered chance of talking about their differences in 'simple conversations' for both the leader of the Church in Londinium and the chief of the Magus guild, some common ground had started to emerge.

Tentative steps between the two group resulted for several bible-related events being expanded by the volumes provided by Altuos.

The religious man was skeptical, then baffled at the numerous of additions to the current scripts of the current Bible.

It was surprising, and almost mouthwatering for the bishop to just ignore, and a begrudged truce had ensued at this discovery.

I found this development to be quite an interesting way to bring the two 'opposite' groups together to work well and under my leadership.

It also meant less chances of having to deal with some opposition from the Church itself, as I was already contemplating a permanent solution to any issues that the Pope might create once my rule was properly consolidate.

While I had initially planned to resume my paperwork once I had concluded my usual lessons with Altuos, my mind decided to accommodate a sudden request from a certain young woman that I had visited just brief moments ago.

Mya's red eyes were staring at the scenery in a moment of utter wonder and genuine fascination, her steps slow but certain as she carefully started to walk over the grass while avoiding the pretty flowers around.

It was odd to see a young woman just enjoy the nature around herself like a little child, and my mind was keen to remind me that there were good reasons that were bringing this kind of attitude out of her.

From the quiet and tame aspect of her naivety, to something a little more active from her childish part.

It was endearing, and maybe amusing too in the long-term.

I decided to merely stare at her actions from a little afar, quite curious to see what the lovely lady was going to do with this new freedom.

She was smiling, her lips twitching mirthfully as she enjoyed the sunrays and the pleasant wind caressing her skin.

Moments passed uneventfully for me as I looked at her twirling around and giggling at the freedom I had decided to concede to her.

Some guards had been assigned to the two entrances of the area, thus 'avoiding any odd situations' with the young woman, but I was pretty sure by now that the very eventuality was just stupid.

It took her sometime but Mya finally took a seat near to where pristine white fountain with clean water at the center of the courtyard was.

Her attention was over the various flowers there as she carefully picked them up and… started to tinker around those as if trying to create some bouquet or something similar.

Curiosity got the best of me as I walked closer to see what Mya was exactly trying to do with the flowers around her.

My eyes glinted at the realization just momentarily as I saw the young woman huffing while trying to connect all the stems together, but failing to find a way to accomplish this.

Some time passed, and the more frustrated the girl would get in her attempts, the more I felt compelled to try my hand in this endeavor.

I remember doing flower-crowns back in my childhood during summertime and spring, mostly thanks to the nearby gardens in the local park allowed for me to try as much as I wanted.

I remember the interest being spurned when I saw mom doing some of those and I could never forget when she had asked me if I had wanted to learn how to do those on my own.

I made several girls happy by doing multiple crowns… and I could also remember some frowns from some of the fathers at my eagerness to make some gifts to their daughters.

I was rusty at the difficult art, and it wasn't a big discovery considering how much time had passed since I had last tried to do something out of this.

But I still found the challenge fairly interesting considering how curious the result was going to be with my crown.

Humming quietly while carefully placing the flowers I had fished out around me to create a proper structure.

The activity was lengthy, but my patience was slowly being rewarded by with some satisfaction at the progress I had gained from doing this feeble stuff.

It wasn't anything too complex, but the waste of time was considerable and… I guess worthwhile for what I had in mind to do with my little crown.

The process was ultimately completed and I spent sometime staring at the results of my 'labor'.

The small crown of flowers looked fairly simple, but I had used numerous flowers to make it capable of survive just a couple of seconds of existing.

I blinked at the crown and then back at Mya, the girl huffing as she failed once more to get some base done.

Feeling quite surprised by her tenacity over this stupid activity, I also noticed that she was barely paying attention to her surroundings.

It offered me the chance I needed to make quite a surprise and I decided to slowly approach her from behind, the crown carefully by my hands.

She was glaring adorably at the poor flowers that had perished in the making of something out of them, but while her eyes were blazing furiously at the poor things.

Soon, I was in position to strike, my eyes glinting some curiosity at what kind of reaction I was going to get from her.

Maybe she would have jump in sudden fright, or maybe just ignore the thing altogehter.

Still, I finally leaned down and carefully placed little crown on top of her head, quickly backing away to gauge her next actions.

The moment it landed gracefully over her white hair, I noticed her entire body tensing up in surprise at the development.

But instead of jumping at the sudden sensation over her head, the young woman merely stood up and, barely giving me a glance, she moved to the fountain to stare at her reflection.

Her red eyes widened in major shock, her irritation vanishing instantly as she realized what was no on top of her head.

Her right hand carefully rushed up to poke at the construct, her surprise slowly getting replaced by giddiness as she turned to look at me with the happiest expression I have ever seen her muster so suddenly.

"How did you do that?" She asked happily and I sighed.

"Trying again and again," I replied calmly, drawing a huff from her but her smile didn't falter.

Instead it twitched as her giggles were already trying to interrupt her little faux annoyance.

"Thank you for this."

"A pretty crown for a pretty lady," I commented with a small smile, but instead of her reaction continuing to be as tame as it was right now, I soon found myself pounced by the giggling woman right back to the grassy floor.

I groaned a little, but I barely felt any hurt from falling in that soft ground. I blinked up, staring at the little clouds up above and then my attention was all directed at the close face of a certain bubbly girl pressing her chin on my chest.

"I'm pretty."

Her tone was quiet, and lacking of any confirmation over this statement.

I blinked, trying to understand if it was an affirmation or a question, and failing to get some proper understanding of the predicament.

"Yes," I still replied, feeling unsure about this sudden development.

Another giggle, she snuggled her left cheek by my shirt as she continued to stare up at me with a curious look.

"But why?"

I blinked again, trying to make sense of the context.

"What?"

She sighed. "Why am I pretty?"

Now, that was quite simple. But also not.

Seriously, how did someone so cute had to be also incredibly complicated?

"Because you are," I replied bluntly, gaining a frown from Mya as she hummed on my shirt.

"But why?" She inquired once more, looking even more interested despite the lack of 'acceptable answers'.

I felt a little nervous now, starting to lose grasp over the situation. "Well, I think you are pretty."

"But am I pretty?" The girl asked, driving even more uncertainty with her queries.

"Yes."

"But why?" She repeated.

"Because I said so," I commented quietly.

"But… why?" She asked… again.

I was starting to lose my patience over this dumb game. I could be endeared by her lovely naive self, but one thing was being naive, the other was being outright a little prick about it.

"Mya."

"Yes?"

I sighed at the question, yet my face bore no warning over what I was going to do next.

"Boop," I muttered while pressing my right index on her nose, ending up drawing a confused and surprised look from her.

"What?"

"Boop," I said again, once more pressing my finger on her nose. "You're being silly."

She frowned. "How am I being silly?"

"You are questioning the fact you're pretty," I replied with a calm tone. "And that's silly."

"Really?"

"Yes," I rebuked and the young woman hummed with a giddy note.

"So I'm pretty."

I nodded. "And cute."

"Really?"

I nodded again and she sighed, staring right at my expression with a fascinated look.

"Joseph."

I blinked. "Yes?"

Her right hand shuffled over my face and her index pressed on my nose.

"Boop," She quietly muttered, close to giggle again. "Now you're silly too."

I frowned at that cheeky move. "That's not how it works-"

"Boop," The girl repeated, her tone gaining some mischievousness. "Now it does, silly Joseph."

I gawked a little at this development, feeling my own weapons turned against me.

Oh, the cruelty of fate itself! The fury of the destiny defied!

...Heh.

"Does that make us both silly then?" I asked back with some interest and she seemed to ponder about this curious question.

Then she nodded.

"I think so, yes," The young woman stated with utmost certainty.

I smiled. "I'm glad. It means that you aren't alone in the silly."

She blinked, almost huffing. "Being silly isn't bad."

"But being alone is," I retorted mirthfully, my left hand reaching for her cheek. "And you aren't alone anymore."

"I'm not," She admitted, this time not continuing the whole questioning game. "I got Silly Joseph, I got Altuos, I got the nice doctors… and I wonder if I can make new friends too."

"Once you're a bit more accustomed with the castle, I guess I can have share a walk with you around Londinium."

It was a simple and general promise, but I could see it happening in a couple of days from now if nothing bad happened in the meantime.

Just as I focused on these thoughts, I felt the girl straddling on my chest as she carefully sit up on my chest and… she hummed.

"Joseph," Mya quietly called while staring down at my face. "Am I annoying you?"

I blinked. "No-"

"Then why are you so close to yawn?"

Just as she said that, the yawn itself escaped through my lips.

I sighed. "It's… it's just because I sleep just a little last night," I confessed quietly as I enjoyed the pleasantness of the grass. It wasn't wet, and it was just warm enough to send me in a state of bliss.

Perhaps I should've really gone to bed instead of sparring with Lancelot.

I was reaching the point where my own eyes were having trouble keeping focus and my brain was outright trying to sabotage my efforts to keep awake.

"Really? Isn't that a bad thing?" She inquired curiously. "I heard Altuos saying that it was bad and… are you going to be sick."

"No."

"But you look unwell," The young woman pressed on, her face showing a little concern over myself. "You know, you can sleep now if-"

"I've some work to do quite soon," I interjected with a quiet tone. "And it's some important stuff."

"Can't you… delegate?" She asked, her red eyes sporting outright worry by now. "You look like you're going to fall asleep now."

Maybe it wouldn't be wrong for me to pick a couple of hours of rest.

The paperwork itself wasn't going to be done with me just being a frigging zombie, and I needed to have some lucidity to go through it all… which a sleepless night had deprived me of.

I took a moment to ponder over the situation, genuinely thinking that sleeping now would be the best decision… and then I saw Mya slowly snuggle back to her previous position.

Differently from before, I could feel her weight pressing me down even more, making me frown with some surprise.

"Mya?"

"You need to sleep," She chided softly, her eyes narrowing onto my face and a pout appearing on her lips. "So you will sleep."

...Is this a hostage situation? It does to seem like one. A very adorable one that I was stuck with.

...Crap, the cute one got me so suddenly and I was her hostage-

Wait, but I wasn't even trying to oppose that. Just up until now I was thinking of just sleeping.

"Mya-"

"You're going to sleep."

"But-"

"Sleeeee-"

"Fine," I 'conceded', knowing that this was truly going to be quite the difficult situation to explain to such a stubborn dummy.

"-eeep, wait really?"

… "Yes?"

She smiled and then… booped me again. "Silly Joseph."

I really wanted to groan, I needed to let out a reaction at that unrestrained amount of cuteness being unleashed upon the world so suddenly and without much consideration.

I felt like close to a nuclear reactor melting down, but instead of radiation I was getting an unhealthy amount of cuteness splashing onto my poor skin.

I sighed, eyes closing as I felt her pressure lessen up as her cheek pressed on my chest and… she started to breath quietly, a tiny and mostly unnoticeable snoring.

With my mind slowly collapsing in my own state of unconsciousness, I couldn't help but wonder if I would manage to wake up in time for the paperwork-

_**Only for me to wake up a couple of hours later with a terribly-amused Altuos, a confused Lancelot, and a shell-shocked Felicianus staring at our sleeping forms.**_

* * *

**AN**

**So I was thinking that if Galahad is born, he wouldn't have to deal with a moron of an absent father.**

**I mean, the main reason that Proto-Mashu disliked Lancelot was about him ditching his mother for the sake of pursuing Guinevere and… it's a mess. Perhaps he will find solution when Uncle Galehaut comes around.**

**Next two chapters will have some of the action-filled elements in a while.**

**Did you love the fluff? Now it's time to- GET IN DA CHOPPAH! **

**Unrelated note:**** Yes, I'm the same author that just started Fate: True Bizarre, a Fate Zero AU where Jotaro Kujo is sent to investigate Fuyuki City during the Holy Grail War. First two chapters in and… things are already insane for JoJo.**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Sultan Asil Arslan****: Next two chapters are going to be important for MC's role.**

**Runelt99****: Possibly no cheating from the FFF (French Failure of a Father) considering that Guinevere is nowhere for him to fall suddenly in love with. Also, happier Galahad?**

**AO Black****: Scathach 'might' make an appearance and have a role in a certain arc, but I can't say for sure.**

**Jackejsh****: I tend to make some fluffy scenes, but the plot is 99.9% serious. (The 0.1% is Memelin).**

**Bear****: Yes, King JoJo shall show Seiba how to properly swim.**


	9. Restoring the Kingdom (4)

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**F/SN, F/Z, F/KPI and other products related to the Fate Series are all owned by TYPE-MOON, Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 8****: Restoring the Kingdom (4)**

* * *

Marcus had made his triumphal return back home, an army of smiling soldiers marching through the streets of Londinium and stopping right as they arrived at the castle.

The prisoners from the raid were quickly taken under the regular guards' care, to be sent in prison for some proper trials. The refugees were quickly guided by some members of the Church that had been assigned to take care of the various families within the large group that had joined the army back to the city.

Two days had gone by since the last major reports from the Commander, and now the man stood before me with a giddy complex. There was a little bit of arrogance in his strutting, but it was merely a mocking display than else.

And the reason that got him to behave as such would be explained by the following greeting.

The first hint that this interaction was going to be the opposite of informal was the fact that the man knelt a couple of meters away from where I was.

"King Joseph, ruler of Britons, I request your validation upon the success obtained through the duress of war," The militaryman began with a solemn tone, suppressing his usual smirk. "I, Commander Marcus Ambrosius, bring you the grand victory against the invaders, and present you with the men that valiantly fought against the aggressors."

The infantry behind him straightened up their stance, appearing for a moment just like how I expected my army to appear in the distant future. Undying loyalty, self-pride, and utmost discipline.

I nodded. "I, King Joseph, ruler of Britons, accept your request, Commander Marcus Ambrosius, and I bestow you with the honor of having secured a glorious mark in Britain's history. Your deed shall always be remembered as part of your dutiful work under my kingship, and I shall personally award you with this commemorative medal."

Surprise painted his face as I walked towards him, stopping upon his form and presenting him with the reward that I had decided to introduce for the occasion.

In modern times, there were plenty of important medals bestowed to exceptional members of society, mostly those that have fought or are fighting in wars. But in this specific case, I had spared some discussions with Altuos about the creation of a list of Honors that could be granted to citizens in case of exceptional deeds.

I leaned forward, carefully placing the medal around Marcus' neck. Retreating away from him, the man stared curiously at the curious piece.

"This is the Distinguished Service Order. Your actions have been considered eligible for one of the highest honors available to the brave men fighting to defend the borders and the people of this kingdom," I explained with a small smile. "Your service shall forever be remembered by the nation as one of the most commendable possible."

His eyes slowly widened, and he offered a quiet nod as I gestured him to stand up.

"Do you have the list that I've requested from the last letter?" I asked quietly, trying to keep this part of the discussion between the two of us.

Marcus nodded again, reaching for his back pouch before offering me the piece of rolled paper that contained what I needed to continue this important 'greeting'.

I took it and glanced at the names written in there, humming quietly as I turned my attention to the rest of the soldiers.

"I wish for Bran Finnini, Angaidh Keegan, Gaius Velius, Cesan Maccances, and Caelus Caesonius to take a step forward and in a line," I stated with a serious voice. "Your actions have been discovered as stellar compared to the common soldier. And you too shall receive an encomium for your bravery."

The men quickly moved through the ranks, standing a couple of feet away and in front of their group. They were sporting a prideful attitude as I approached them with some more medals.

I started with the first man on the left, going individually to put the medal around their necks while thanking them for their services.

Once I was done with this activity, I retreated back to my previous position.

"Your unwavering bravery and your undeniable valor shall always be remembered within the annals of history, you're among the heroes during the battle for Essex" I said with a small smile, then nodded at them. "You may all return to your previous standing with a legitimate note of pride. You've all gained the gratitude of the people you're sworn to protect."

And they did so, smiling even more at those words as they walked back within their former place in the lines.

With the little ceremony coming to a closure and with the officers taking the soldiers back to the barracks, I decided to spend some time talking to Marcus while we made our way back to the throne room.

"You know, Kingly, this is actually a smart idea," The Commander muttered while looking at the medal with a proper look. "Romans used to give lands to their veterans, but we can't certainly do that to entice men to join the army. But this thing about honor? It could actually work."

"Which is why I decided to go through with it," I replied with a sigh, staring forward while pondering at the topics I had to treat with the chief of the army. There was a lot that still required to be brought up during this walk. "Still, I suppose that you've avoided getting trailed during your return."

"Scouts confirmed no force giving us pursuit," Marcus returned quickly. "But I don't think we will face any retribution anytime soon. Some of the documents we've found by their ships mentioned that they were focusing more on their immediate threat."

The Lothians. I guess that would also explain why there had been no other Homunculi within the people recovered from the raid, their entirety surely dispatched to aid the defense in the north.

Which meant that we weren't going to deal with the invaders at all and our attention was now directed at any sneak attacks from the petty kingdoms. That was some good news for sure.

"What about any possible reinforcement?" I inquired after nodding at this this development. "Do you reckon that we will be expecting any new visitors?"

"Most of the ships were destroyed during the attack. I'm unsure if they had any other ships back to their crappy home or not," The man responded while shrugging. "Although, I can see that the news of the decimation might dissuade anyone from joining up in this campaign. Too risky, too deadly."

I nodded again, this time huffing as we turned a corner.

"By the way, you could've told me about-"

"The Lake kid is here, right?" He interrupted with a snort. "I bet he kept you in shape while I was away. How's your swordplay? Any improvement over that?"

"I thought that I was already doing fine from the letters you've sent him," I retorted dryly, gaining a frown from Marcus. "You know you can actually spare some genuinely positive comments once in a while."

"And let you get egocentric and more of a moron? We don't need a King to go through that path," He shot back. "But I suppose I can say without hesitation that you got some swift step. I reckon you can make for a message runner if things as a king doesn't work well for ya."

I closed my eyes, sighing heavily at the sass I was being subjected to.

"I still can't find an answer as to why I just don't throw you in the dungeon for your behavior," I commented quietly, causing the man to snort.

"Because you're smart enough to realize that I'm helping you train with how chaotic the situation is," The Commander answered almost eagerly. "While you got the brain to think like a king, you will also need to know how to use a sword like one. A single precise swing can get you killed, and that's not something anyone wants to see happen."

I blinked. "I suppose you're a good teacher but-"

"And how is Lancelot? Did he spare you some of his 'kindness' already? Maybe he went easy on you because you were a novice?" He pressed on, ignoring my words.

"We've been sparring frequently but… there wasn't much of a difference between him and you," I admitted with a hum. "Are you referring to-"

"The kind but horribly condescending tone he would get during some instances," The commander interjected again. "He isn't trying to sound like some polite idiot, but I suppose that spending so much time with an overly-polite Fae can leave your mind stuck with that complex."

I was still unsure how exactly that was really a flaw. Lancelot hardly seemed the kind of individual that spoke out of order, or at least beyond the limits of humble politeness. Yet, I didn't push for more about the consideration as we wandered right inside the throne room.

The place was filled with some of the few nobles that had been living within the castle for some time now, there was Felicianus with his own group of representatives and… Altuos was staring hardly at a figure that was patiently waiting for our arrival.

I stared intensely at the young man, his white hair, which matched well with his mostly white robes, were accompanied with a pair of violet eyes. He was wielding what looked to be a strange wood staff with a strange root-like structure encroaching around it in a spiral that reached up to the top.

I noticed almost immediately that Marcus' posture had grown tense, while I turned to my other side to see Lancelot now walking beside me.

"My liege, please keep close."

A simple request, or perhaps a life-saving advice considering the sudden tension in which I was subjected to. The curious fellow seemed rather 'unique' and, considering how this world had taken a more anime-sque tone, I wouldn't ignore the chances of him being a big shot.

But whom?

We stopped just in front of the throne, and the man bowed slightly towards me.

"It's an honor to be in your presence, oh King Joseph, ruler of Londinium," He greeted carefully, and I frowned at his diminishing my title. "I'm called by many the Magus of Flowers, but I merely go by the name of… Merlin."

…

Fuck- no, Double Fuck.

Now I could see the reason why everyone was so rightfully wary of this man. The legendary mage, the man that literally drove Arthur to become king…

He seemed quite young considering how many years he had to have been around for. First as an advisor to a young Uther, and now for his son.

"It's… a pleasure to make your acquaintance?"

He smiled at the meek attempt, and I guess he noticed that his mere presence was drawing no little issue from the rest of the court.

"I suppose that will do. I can see that my little unexpected visit ruffled many's feathers," He responded with a calm and 'light' tone. "But my time here is limited, and so I will spare any unneeded pleasantries and skip to the point of my humble interaction."

His smile was kind, but I could sense some deception. It wasn't magic, it was just basic BS-smelling ability any sane individual would've done.

Whatever was the reason that got him to abruptly arrive at my court wasn't something pleasant for sure.

"King Joseph, my request is simple, but also quite a hard choice for you to make, I think," The Magician mumbled quietly as he prepared to deliver the hit. "Surrender your claim of Kingship right now, and I can promise you already that my liege will not see you killed for keeping up this farce."

...WHAT?!

The entire room looked quite shell-shocked by the preposterous demand that the famous Magus had just proclaimed so calmly and so lightly.

I could see Altuos glaring daggers now that the gig was up, with Marcus seeming ready to jump at the cheeky bastard already.

I was appalled by these words, almost driven to silence by the gallant tone used to request this senseless thing. But I didn't keep quiet for long.

"You- You're insane," I rebuked in surprise. "You decided to come here to… to ask my surrender? To ask for Londinium's surrender?"

"It's more… like you stepping down for a chair bigger than you can fit," He replied, surprisingly ignoring my tone. "It's… mercy. Yes, I want to offer you mercy instead of seeing someone of your talent to go there and perish without reason."

Without reason- He was truly mad. There was no other way to depict the logical development happening before my eyes.

"In fact, I can also vouch for the rest of the court here… and for the lovely young woman that you currently care for within this-" _**Scwing! **_"Castle- now, that is quite rude, you know?"

His cheek didn't falter despite the fact that Crocea Mors' edged part was now pressing by his throat.

"You- YOU!" I was boiling. This very conversation? A fucking joke. But I wasn't in the mood of playing with the veiled threats of the bastard. "You dare to come at my court, demand my submission to your petty king, and then you threaten me and those I care for? Do you seek death, wizard?!"

…

"Haha-" A brief stifle, then he erupted in a laugh at my outburst. My eyes widened again, my face reddening in utter fury at this reaction. "N-Now I can see- your eyes have quite a glow. Almost familiar… a pity that you would never accept surrender… but a curious opportunity to test Arthur might against-"

"What if I don't allow you to leave,_ Emrys?_" I interrupted with poison dripping from my words. Using his other name seemed to gain a surprised look from his face, a change from the previous easygoing personality that I had seen up until now.

"Truly? Would you rather face possible death just for some joke?" He inquired with a slightly unamused tone. "Let me ask you this, _what if there was a dragon right now?_"

I blinked at the strange question, yet that mere blink saw a complete change of the room. Instead of the Throne Room, we were both alone in what looked to be a humongous cave. Surprise swelled at the sight, but it soon morphed in silent fright at the large reptile-like creature now standing behind Merlin.

It was massive, it looked angry and… it seemed ready to shot some flames from its mouth. A dragon- a black-scaled one at that.

I restrained myself from gulping nervously at the sight, trying my best to keep my attention at the sorcerer.

"You could let go of me, and focus on the monster," He suggested almost teasingly. "Perhaps you should face the worst threat first."

…

I frowned at him. "Are you referring to yourself?" I asked jokingly, drawing a perplexed look from him as I pressed the tip of the sword even closer to his exposed neck.

"You would risk your life all for a petty tease? Are you so naive and clueless-"

"This is all fake," I shot back instantly.

"Even the heat? The smoke? The incoming sense of death?" He pressed on with a hint of surprise.

"Right now, Lancelot is squeezing my shoulder- a tad too much I reckon, so if you can-" I muttered, getting the painful grasp onto my back to lessen up a little bit. "That's better- now, Lancelot as a resilience to Magic and… I can feel part of my body sensing the cool sensation of the throne room."

…

"Well, there was an effort," The man shrugged, only to disappear from my sight and reach. "_But perhaps you should check on your pockets._"

The illusion dropped just before the dragon had the chance to unleash some hot fury on me, and enough for me to not trip on myself at that scene.

Everyone looked confused, mostly because of the sudden disappearance of the wizard. Marcus looked around, while Lancelot let go of his hold onto me.

"He's gone," Altuos confirmed with a grim tone. "But his presence here- his claims… we've some trouble brewing before our eyes, your highness."

A damning kind of trouble, I wanted to add considering the horrible circumstances that led to this situation. It was so unexpected, so immediate compared to any previous issues and… it was worrying.

Yet my attention was fully directed at slowly complying at the final words pronounced by the cheeky magus before he had left.

A folded piece of paper was within my left pocket- No, it was a lengthier letter with… some message on it. I stared to it while everyone tried to make sense of what had just happened while I felt myself paling while reading the words that were written there.

These words hadn't been written by Merlin, but someone that was fairly close to him. Someone that I really didn't need to be dealing with as of now.

I blinked, I inhaled and…

"Fuck."

* * *

My office was filled with quite the group of people.

Felicianus was reading the letter with a shocked expression impressed on his weary face.

Marcus and Altuos were debating about which kind of tone was best suited to answer the absurd claims advanced by Arthur, the content of the letter sowing even more chaos to the already messy situation we were all forced to deal with.

The Commander wanted to offer a clear and blunt 'Fuck off', while the chief of the Magus Guild wanted to offer some polite declination… and then a 'Fuck off' too.

Lancelot was standing by the doorstep, merely listening at the scene. The purple-haired man trying his best to not intervene himself at the shocking development that had happened before his eyes.

Meanwhile I was trying my best to not just start bashing my head on the desk, failing in properly think how I was supposed to dodge that kind of massive, deadly bullet aimed at me.

Arthur Pendragon, the legendary King, was aiming at kicking me off my mighty pedestal.

That very statement sounded so dreadful as cheesy, but my real issue wasn't actually what was going on… but how?

There hadn't been any major news about the current conflict in Dumnonia, and the battle royal there should've been more than enough to keep someone like the dangerous claimant away from making this kind of demands so suddenly and so boldly.

I was perplexed before the fact that the civil war there might have concluded just recently, and without anything about this closure reaching out and away from that region. Maybe it was Merlin's ordeal?

His impressive capacity with illusions and Sorcery in general was unquestionable, but the mere idea that the man had decided to create such a devastating element of surprise was worth of some gawking.

Could it be that he could see the future? Maybe following the same way used to discern the prophecy of the 'Eternal King of Albion'?

I didn't know, nor I wanted to really investigate too much about it considering how pressing the main problem was.

The demands were clear, and the words used there were as cold as formal. A 'meeting' had been indicted in three days from now right by the border between our dominions.

Dumnonia was his to control, yet Arthur had refused to addressing his kingdom by that name. It was Camelot.

He was already paving the road for his proper domain… one that was threatening the existence of mine because of its expansionist policies. And I wasn't going to let the slight go fading so easily.

A letter wouldn't have been enough to grasp the essence of my irritation, of my anger- It had to be close and personal.

_Sadly, there's no such thing as Celtic-Latin Wrestling._

Instead of whining over that lost opportunity, I decided that it was going to be best to actually going at the meeting… to outright refuse that blasted and mad claim.

I straightened myself on my chair, sighing as I now had to make it clear with the rest of the group that this was my ultimate decision.

How was I supposed to break these news without getting yelled at about this idea being utterly stupid?

Just as I pondered over a possibly daring attempt at inquiring over this possibility, I paused at the noise of someone knocking at the door, with Lancelot leaning a little to open just enough to offer some sight over whom was there behind it.

Mya waved briefly at me, a small smile on her face as she questioned with her stare about entering inside.

I nodded. The girl hummed happily as she stepped inside and… paused to look around at the kerfuffle still evolving between the three advisors. Curious red eyes returned to stare at me for some answers and I gestured her to come closer.

She complied, taking a seat by one of the unoccupied chairs. "We were discussing about… a diplomatic issue."

"Oh?" The young woman seemed to realize just a little bit about what I was referring to. "But why you're angry?"

...What?

"I'm not angry, Mya," I tried to reassure with a small smile. "Just annoyed that someone dared to claim… this,"

I passed on the letter to the girl. The Einzbern was slightly confused at first as the terms used within the letter were… quite complex considering her current understanding of the language.

While she was going fast with the lessons with Altuos, she was pretty far from actually being actually able of understanding any document as difficult as the one in her hands.

Yet the sense of it seemed to strike her as her curious look was replaced with a minor… scowl.

"That's silly. You're the king," Mya muttered with some determination. "And… Arthur is dumb?"

...My god, that was utter gold. The sheer loyalty displayed in that amusing sight was enough to bring me to smile at her pout.

"Seems like that, Mya," I replied with a sigh. "But now I've yet to think of a proper way to reply to this silly issue."

She blinked, tilting her head to the side as she seemed to ponder well about this instance and… she nodded.

"Tell him he's dumb?"

There is something cute in that savage response, enough to warrant a chuckle. The noise managed to finally attract the attention from the bickering trio, with the Commander snorting in amusement at the suggestion.

"I would do that and much more," Marcus answered gleefully. "Especially with that all-white wizard on their fold. Perhaps you've some ways to chide people trying to emulate your style, Bishop?"

"As if I would recognize the attempt of such a scoundrel as part of our religious order," Felicianus rebuked with a huff. "White is the symbol of purity. Like the hair of fair maiden Myasviel."

The girl giggled at the compliment, and my smile twitched at remembering the aftermath of getting caught sleeping by the garden with her by Bishop.

The man's shock had melted at the various guarantees advanced by both me and Altuos, enough to see any bad escalations turned into something far odder and kind of worrying on the long-term.

'Marriage is the solution.'

The religious elder had been clear about it, and quite 'subtle' in coaxing the innocent young woman in taking some steps over the holy union.

Subtle wasn't exactly Felicianus' forte, and the resulting instances merely saw an increase of personal contact with a giddy Mya, from hugs to trying to fall asleep with me nearby.

To her this was all a reason to just deepen and broaden our friendship, but I was perfectly aware that the situation was a little more than that and thus had to keep an eye for any strange behaviors from both.

"I assume that your highness has already thought over this matter," Altuos piped in with some curiosity. "I reckon that you've been quiet for some time before Mya's arrival. Maybe you can offer us any suggestions to solve this quandary?"

I blinked at being brought in that conversation already, but understanding why I needed to offer an input now that I had been called in.

I sighed, I gave a simple glance at all of them and… I spoke.

"We go there and I tell him no," I muttered with a serious voice, slowly turning my attention at the girl. "And then I tell Arthur he's dumb."

Her victorious smile lightened up the world once more as I turned back to the three advisors.

"It wouldn't be prudent to… go there, your highness."

"I think it would actually work well if I did, Altuos," I rebuked calmly. "In fact, I think I can avoid a war if I go there to directly refuse the claim. If I play my cards carefully-"

"You will still need some backing, my liege," Felicianus jumped in with a nod. "I humbly offer my service to aid you in this diplomatic endeavor."

I hummed while thinking over this possibility. Having the Church by my side would be a huge boost to my legitimacy, especially since Arthur wasn't a believer of Christianity despite some authors proclaiming so.

The fellow mentioned gods, more than just a deity, and that confirmed the fact that he was well away from converting to the religion.

While the Roman Empire was no more, Christianity still had a big role in most of Western Europe, with the biggest exception being some of the territories in Proper Germany.

I gave him a nod. "I will accept your offer."

Just as I saw his smile at my confirmation, I noticed Altuos bowing his head. "I will hopefully be allowed to join this event too."

Another nod, I felt a tug by the other side as Mya gave me a questioning look.

"You want to come too?"

"I want to… be there," The young woman confessed slowly, but with undeterred determination.

I frowned at that, still unsure about having the girl leave the castle on such an important mission. Especially with the threat advanced by Merlin.

But then again, it would've been best to have her around to keep a closer eye on her. Thus I gave her an uneasy nod, which she took with a big smile.

"Of course I will be there too, Kingly-"

"You're… actually staying at the castle, Commander," I interjected with a mix of seriousness and amusement, as soon I was happily basking in the shocked expression displayed by the man. "Since one of the main leaders of the military has to stay behind, I think you will enjoy some days here to keep track of the situation here in Londinium while I'm not there to maintain my regular role."

He frowned. "That's- I thought- but-"

"I will have Lancelot to be my guard during our time away," I continued with a tiny smirk. "So you will have nothing to worry about."

"But what about the wizard? I want a piece of that ba-" He stopped as he realized that Mya was staring at him with some attention. "That stupid moron."

"Well sadly, you can't be there to do that," I responded with a sigh. "But I can assure you that I've some plans to return the favor to the Flower-guy."

"Can you at least tell me how you plan to take revenge on him?" He asked dryly, to which I nodded and gestured him to come closer.

As he was close enough, I started to whisper him what I planned to try if Merlin ever ended up getting too close to either me or Mya.

Something something sword. Something something rear.

The swift whispering seemed to garner some amusement from the Commander, the man nodded eagerly at the mental sight created by the careful words used to depict the 'fair' torture I had in mind to exact on the white-dressed prick.

With everyone agreeing with my mission, I found myself entertained by a single thought for the rest of the day.

A thought that had come up by utter imagination and a sense of vengefulness.

_**I wonder how it would feel to bitch-slap King Arthur.**_

* * *

**AN**

**Action is now! Memelin is in, and so is Artoria. But how will it go? Will Artoria get slapped, will she do something serious but then absurdly insane? Or maybe Mya is going to roast the blonde with her cute sass? Also… a fight?**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Ruberforumfree****: Maybe in the FGO segment in the post-epilogue.**

**Sultan Asil Arslan****: Gawain is a Ja.**

**HegemonyWalker****: The thing that screw up this perception is that he was actually cool with it. Heck, he was the one that keep in contact with Elaine after the whole deed, and the one that mentioned Galahad to Arthur. **

**AO Black****: As of right now, which is 10PM, I can't offer a swift answer. But I did leave plenty of sections detailing how much time has passed from each chapters. **

**I want Memelin****: Here.**

**LukeSky001****: There will be something similar, only a little more unique and somewhat amusing. Expects lot of sass and late-fluff at that part.**


	10. Friend- or not? (1)

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**F/SN, F/Z, F/KPI and other products related to the Fate Series are all owned by TYPE-MOON, Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 9****: Friend… or not? (1)**

* * *

The major trade-port of Venta Belgarum was one of the few cities in the British Isles that hadn't perceived the damaging effects that the retreat of Roman influence had caused across the countries.

Its economy still running strong thanks to the various ties to the French Mainland mixed between the small Roman strongholds in Normandy and the Franks ruling the region of Holland thanks to the fact that the trade routes in the English channel had been spared by the raids committed by the Saxon invaders.

The place was flourishing with life and urban development, something that would've surely been halted if the invaders had managed to conquer Londinium and reached the southern port.

But now that this threat was vanquished for good, especially with the last few news coming from the border war between the Picts and the German tribes?

I was sure as heck not going to waste the opportunity of endearing the governor of the city to sworn loyalty to my legitimate claim to the Isles.

The city had been the one that had been picked for the 'Convention of Kings'. Or so it was nicknamed by those workers that had been assigned in the streets to promote the important event. It was monumental, the possibility of drawing peace out of the war-torn lands of England.

While the general unpleasantness of the conflicts crippling the mainland hadn't reached the 'quiet south', the people in Venta Belgarum were endeared by the chance of finally being brought back into something powerful like it had been the Roman Empire.

There was a degree of stability that nothing else but being part of a large conglomerate of territories could bring to people's mind. The idea of a mighty leader ruling diligently, efficiently and, most of all, for the greater good of the nation. Which is why absolutism was the best way to go for the time being until things were somewhat 'happier' in this sad lands of death and unfairness.

Still, I wasn't fretting myself by pushing the current governor to actually get interested in such an offer. The man that ruled the trade-port was one of the rare few Romans that had actually refused to abandon the Isles, but he was also one of the oldest member of the Latin bureaucratic system.

Quintus Peltrasius Natalinus was born in Rome a few years earlier than the Sack of 410.

His family had been affiliated to some of the waning Aristocracy born from those that were part of the Senate. A governor that was meant to keep control of Britannia Prima, the first Roman colony in England, but failed to do so when the Legions garrisoning the region were forced to leave to assist the other troops by the Rhine and down in Italy.

He was within the entourage welcoming my group within the city when we arrived at the city just a day before the established day of the convention. He appeared to be an old man that looked pretty close to kick the bucket, but one that still sported dignity and pride in his upbringing.

I had expected him to be irked by my own presence, as Londinium was recognized as part of his own territory. Yet he was rather polite, and incredibly 'kind' over the party welcoming us within the streets of the city. Big crowds stared at my small cast of individuals that had been selected for the task and the guards that were following us.

It's kind of difficult to truly understand the psyche of the public in this specific time period but I knew that there was just a strange awe in seeing important characters guarded by knights in shining armors. So I just didn't waste too much thought about it and merely focused on the situation at hand.

We were provided with rooms by the living quarters, away from those occupied by by the group led by King Arthur as to avoid any unpleasant conflicts before the negotiations planned to happen for the next morning. Once our stuff had been properly put by our respective rooms, we were offered a larger room to use to share some discussions over what was going to be a troublesome round of negotiations.

"It's… concerning that Quintus decided to keep quiet about the claimant's identity," Altuos commented quietly. "While the man and I don't share much confidentiality after what had happened with the last governor in Londinium, he would've jumped at the opportunity to squash any attempt from the locals to form a heretic kingdom."

"Maybe something got him to change idea?" I suggested, only to be met with a headshake from Felicianus.

"Governor Quintus is a devout Catholic, his faith coming second only to his loyalty to Rome," The Bishop pointed out, dismissing my little guess with that affirmation. "But I share the commander's concerns over the lack of support from the Governor. I would've expected… even a small gesture to confirm his trustworthiness."

But he hadn't.

While the man had been a fine guide and a polite host, the Roman Governor hadn't showed anything that could be considered as an inclination towards our side. Which was indeed worth of some worry at the chances of Merlin having meddled around to make this a problematic place where to be as of now.

Maybe this was a massive trap. Maybe this was meant to see me killed if I failed to comply to the orders. I've seen how some characters within the Arthurian Legends were different by appearances, but their behaviors were somewhat resembling to the way they were commonly depicted by the old texts.

And while Arthur was a noble knight with a good ambition, his ways to achieve his goals were far from stellar. Knightship can take you so far before you shift your mentality away from honor and back into a forceful perception that altered one's mindset about the world.

Especially after years of wars having influenced the young claimant to the throne of Britain.

Despite my own issues about the matter, I was still relieved when the conversation soon shifted on something that would help immensely in giving our side some good publicity. While Felicianus had been living in Londinium with his cast of the Ecchlesia, the rest of Christian Britain was technically his own responsibility.

And this is why from that very topic there were conversations over the implementation of the same projects I had suggested to the Bishop here in Venta Belgarum. The idea was appealing, especially since the project was funded by the Church itself since the group wasn't forced to commit tributes to the rulers of the land.

While the trade-city seemed to have less issues with poor people, the presence of this issue and the resolution proposed by the Church 'under Felicianus but by my own Blessing' would've endeared the interest and the trust of some citizens trying to get a clear glimpse of who I truly was.

With this little situation solved, the discussion shifted on another particular situation. Roman Magi had established a Guild in this city too. They weren't following the standards preached by Altuos, but the guidelines that made it possible for their group to exist were there.

Considering my plans of seeing if it was possible to 'upgrade' Crocea Mors' runes to offer me better performances during the battlefield, I knew it was a must to give it a chance and visit the local Magi Guild once I was done with these negotiations.

From there, we delved back to the negotiations themselves. We had little to no clue about the kind of entourage Arthur had brought to the convention, but I was fairly sure that the main initiative was going to be a swift and blunt attempt to get their treaty done and signed.

With how quickly the young Pendragon had to have moved from Civil War to a proper kingdom, I was skeptical to believe he would be able to sustain a stable dominion over the region without facing some peasant rebellions back at home.

Either that, or I was hoping for Galehaut to make some interesting moves with his own control over the 'kingdom', perhaps make his own bid of power. This last possibility being a tangible one with the fact that the mighty lord kept neutral if not antagonistic over Arthur's ambitions up until he faced the 'Black Knight'.

And with the Black Knight currently sitting beside me with a confused and worried look over the overall situation we were supposed to face together, I knew that the chances of Arthur winning over Galehaut were close to none.

With that thought in mind, I continued to sport a confident look thorough the discussion, quipping some comments once in a while whenever possible. If I wasn't paying attention to the other topics highlighted in that lengthy conversation, it was because I was chatting quietly with Mya.

While the young woman was trying her best to keep track on what was being said in that reunion, her lacking grasp over the complicated matters brought up made her capacity to understand and digest the various topics quite complicated.

I noticed this from the very beginning of the discussion, but I had restrained myself from actively talking to her up until I was finally 'let go' of facing the issue that was the reason why we were all here.

"How are you doing?"

She offered a small but uneasy smile. "It's difficult. But… I'm fine."

"Once we're done with this, I think we could take two hours to wander around the city," I commented kindly. "It would do us all a little breath of air out of these sturdy walls."

"Is it always this difficult?" The white-haired woman inquired quietly. "I don't want to pry if it's… private. But it seems like this is what you usually do-"

"It can be difficult at times, but the rewards are worth it all," I replied with a small smile. "Still, I manage. It's not always a complicated mess as this one."

A small smile returned to her lips. "And you still find time to visit me."

"Of course. Why would I miss chatting with you?" I said with a frown. "I promised you that I will never leave me alone."

Her smile widened. "I don't want to leave you alone too."

…

I blinked, feeling jolted by the bright expression that I was bestowed with when she said those words. It felt odd that those felt so meaningful.

The conversation trailed for another full hour before I decided to adjourn the reunion to a latter hour. I took precautions to keep up with the little walk I had planned to have with Mya around Venta Belgarum.

Two guards from the local garrison were given to support Lancelot with the task of escorting us around the streets of the city. We were both endeared by the pleasant beauty of the roads and by the almost naive curiosity displayed by the people passing by and stopping to look at us walking around.

In the end this turned into a nice way to spend some of our free time in relative peace and harmony before we had to return back to the castle for more heavy conversations about tomorrow's situation.

Once we were gone through the same similar spiel from Altuos and Felicianus, stealing some brief chats with Myasviel in the mean time and… the daytime flickered away from my grasp quite quickly and unexpectedly.

I had so much weighting my entire consciousness over what was going to be my best shot to avoid a problematic and bloody conflict with someone way more advantaged than I was right now.

_**The night was long… and my nervous mind didn't have any plans for me to find rest.**_

* * *

It was around midnight that I decided to make something risky. Something that could easily end with my own demise if this place was truly filled with non-friendly intentions towards my group.

Taking a stroll around the castle without an armed escort was indeed a stupid decision from my part, but I wasn't unarmed since I had decided to take with me Crocea Mors.

My early plan was to merely lurk around to ponder in silence about the nerve-inducing fact that I was supposed to spearhead a powerful opposition to Arthur's expansionism.

The mere idea that I was going to butt heads with King Arthur was enough to put me in an unpleasant state of mind. Worry filling my thoughts, I ended up going beyond the corridor of the living quarters, feeling the need of finding a place I was sure that at this time of the night was currently deserted.

While the castle was slightly smaller than the one in Londinium, the inner barracks were still there as per architectural style that saw both fortress built. Moving around the halls without getting spotted by the passing patrols proved to be simpler than I had initially thought and… I ended up finding myself entering the place I assumed to be the barracks.

The large area was filled divided between the armory with the sparring tools and other blades needed for training, while the rest of the room was assigned for the training sessions. Small circles that were delimited by rope tightly circling through four pikes set by the ground around the fighting area.

But while I had indeed managed to find where the barracks where, my hopes of quiet and peace crumbled as I saw a lone figure slashing the air with a sparring sword. I was unable to get their appearance because of the dim lighting.

The torches were spread thinly across the entire room, and the other illuminating light that better aided in getting some sight over the battle areas was created by the moonlight descending from holes by the roof.

Finally, _she _moved around and bathed under the pale light. I blinked in surprise at the short-haired blonde attacking the air in what looked to be some training to refine her precision with her strikes. This very exercise had been one of the few ones that even now that I got through the basics of swordsmanship was still within my own regiment.

She was wearing a simple night-robe, with her sleeves rolled to the elbows as to have better mobility with her blade. Her golden hair was let down and free from any style beyond the natural small shoulder-length mane those formed.

Her greenish-blue eyes glinted interest over the current state of things, and she looked to have attained inner peace through that simple exercise. The silence was barely disturbed by her actions, with her voice being restrained by discipline and restraint over the importance of focusing onto the present.

But she was so attentive of her silent training that she failed to notice that I had been there. I took a few steps closer, taking a seat by one of the wooden benches lined by the entrance, my eyes mesmerized by the accuracy and devotion of her attacks. Almost reminding me of the way Lancelot seemed to twirl and strike around with his sword during our spars.

To be fair, I was starting to itch at the fact that this formidable woman was alone there and exercising, making her a possible training buddy for the time being… if I managed to introduce myself without sounding like a creep. It was late in the night, the place was desolate, and we were living in the medieval ages- I can see so many unpleasant misunderstandings coming from this very situation.

So, instead of continuing to stare like some stalker at the young woman, I decided to stand up from my seat and approach a little more her little training area. I paused by the edge of the ropes, waiting for a moment for the girl to finish what looked to be a rather complicated combo of swirls, slashes and strikes before actually greeting her.

"It's a quiet night today, isn't it?" I asked calmly, still failing to avoid getting a quick alarmed look from her as she turned around with her wooden sword trained at me. I frowned at the distrusting look on her face and sighed. "Just wandering about. Wanted to practice with my sword to clear some of my thoughts."

The quick explanation served to ease up the situation, but not enough to avoid swift inquiries from the blonde.

"Who are you?"

I felt tempted to state my full title and name, but then again I wasn't one to flex and brag about my achievements everywhere I go. So I just shrugged. "A guest to this castle. What about you, young lady?"

She looked surprised by the lack of formality within my tone and at the counter-question I had proposed to her. The girl shuffled nervously, keeping quiet as she thought about this.

"I'm- I'm a guest too."

Oh? I guess that would make sense that she's the daughter of some noble. She looked fairly young, I would say in her late teen years.

Just before I had the chance of pressing on, the swordswoman decided to continue to speak.

"A-And why would you need to… be there to clear your thoughts?"

There was a pause, her hold over the sword was now aimed elsewhere than me, but her tension was still there to make it clear she wasn't trusting my current reasoning just yet. What an interesting situation. And what an adorable blonde I had to deal with.

"Same thing you're doing here? Like I've said I just want to be alone and train a little bit," I answered swiftly, once more surprising the young woman on the spot. "But since you're here… I guess it would be asking too much to spar. I don't wish to sound too much disrespectful and straightforward, which is why I will leave you to your own businesses and I will train away from-"

"W-Wait," She muttered in a mix of confusion and surprise. "I mean, I wouldn't mind to spar with someone right now- you're also correct to say that it would be odd if you offered now and like this..."

I blinked. "But?"

The woman sighed. "But I really need to vent on a live target," She admitted without hesitation, drawing a skeptical frown from me. "A-And don't give me that look. I can tell that you wanted something like that too."

To be fair, she wasn't wrong in thinking like that. I really needed something a little more 'difficult' to face as to distract me from my own worries. A 'live target' would do that and much more. I managed a nod, before leaving my sword by the closest pike and walking up to fetch myself a training blade to challenge the blonde.

She had took her stance, holding her sword with both hands and preparing to rush me… but I wasn't done yet with the talking. In fact, I really felt interested now about this curious sparring buddy.

"How about we make a bet?" I suggested calmly, making her stare at me with a mix of confusion and minor irritation at getting distracted by my words. "I win, you tell me your name. You win, I tell you mine."

"Sounds rather unfair..." The blonde commented with a nod. "For yourself."

I narrowed my eyes at that, feeling aggravated that this girl was trying to throw sass at me. And I wasn't going to take that without some retaliation. "Then you will find no issue in accepting this, correct?"

A small smirk appeared on her face. "Only if you promise to not whine once I'm done with you."

That's it. Now I need to take steps to make some over-confident girl cry a river over this situation. I would've been nicer than this but… I really was irritated by the arrogance displayed by the sassy girl.

Grasping tightly at the hilt of my sword, I bolted the very moment that the blonde advanced. I was surprised at the burst of speed which the young woman had used to reach up for me, but I was accustomed to this kind of absurd pacing after dealing with this crap for a while now.

Her first hit, a sudden attempt to plunge her wooden blade towards me, was thwarted when I slammed the sword away from my proximity, offering me just a tiny window of opportunity to land 'first blood' myself.

Much to my dismay, my sword touched only air as the girl moved away from its trajectory. A smirk still playing by her face as I pressed on with the assault, clashing fiercely with her defense and her attempts to counter my own attacks.

I backed away as she took a wild swing at my left flank, letting the blade pass in front of me before shifting forward and back in my previous position.

"You're good," I confessed with a mix of surprise and giddiness over the intense situation. "But you don't seem much."

Her posture twitched at the half-compliment half-insult.

"And you move fairly slow for a 'slender' young man."

...Did she call me fat right now?! 'm not even chubby! What the heck!?

If the reason behind that insult was to get me pissed and more focused on the match, then she got her wish granted as I started to apply even more pressure to her guard. Yet, while I had some edge in the early moments of that furious burst, I was once again facing a stubborn stalemate by our equal pacing.

We both started to get riskier with our efforts to get openings on each others, but nothing truly noteworthy developed from that maddening equal clashing. I could feel her getting angrier the more I persisted against her, with the small lock of hair twirling atop her head dignifying the annoyance slowly replacing her patient self.

More power was pumped into my arms, my legs straining further as I tried to outmaneuver the girl, only to be matched shortly after by her own crescendo. It was infuriating how we were holding well against one another.

But just as I mustered up another strong push to throw back the umpteenth attempt from the girl, I felt the wood clashing starting to… creak louder than before. I didn't pay much attention to the odd noise, but then as the clash persisted through that single situation, the entire structure of our swords cracked under the pressure.

The 'bladed' part literally came off in a small release of tiny splinters flying everywhere around. I felt my eyes widening in utter surprise at it, with my sparring partner stopping at the same time as I did to look at her former training blade.

"Y-You- How is this possible?"

I stared at my own broken sword with a confused look. Shock swelled at the sight, but it was confusion that took the lead as I realized something much more important than the odd aftermath of this spar.

"Who won?"

The girl blinked in surprise at my sudden query, staring silently at me as her now wide-open eyes tried to make sense either about my question or how my priorities were truly sorted inside my head. Still, she blinked again and… nodded.

"I think that was a draw," The blonde admitted, her tone still filled with quiet surprise at the development. "Which means…"

"We need to tell each others about our names," I concluded for her, drawing a nod from the young woman.

She gave me a long stare, but didn't say anything. "Isn't there a rule about 'girls going first'?"

"I'm shy," The young woman commented with a blank tone, making me narrow my eyes at her as a smug look appeared shortly after on her face.

"And also a sassy, shy, but adorable girl. Yes," I rebuked with an impassive tone, making her blush at the little 'compliment' I had left for her to hear. "But sure. My name is… Joe."

_Oh God, I just realized that I could technically meme her but… that wouldn't be received well considering time and space. Curse you, lack of the internet!_

"Your name is Joe?"

"Yep."

"That's… quite short."

_Maybe I'm trying to balance something far bigger than that. Who knows._

"What about your name? It's your turn now, shy-girl."

Huffing at the new nickname, she crossed her arms close to her chest. "I'm… You may call me Ria."

I stared at Ria quietly and in a contemplative state. I was fairly sure that name wasn't a thing just yet, especially here in Medieval England. Could it be that she had perceived the fact I had used a fake name? Probably, or maybe she was just as careful as I was about giving out her real name.

"Well… nice to meet you, Ria."

"Likewise," She rebuked softly. "And you were a good sparring partner. You seem to have quite the experience with the blade."

I nodded slowly. "To be honest, I've started to train with a sword a little less than a month ago."

I saw her skip a couple of steps to approach me. "What? You've to be lying."

"I'm not," I commented sheepishly. "But there is also the fact that I got trained to the bone to get to this level."

"Still, that was a formidable match. It's been a while since… I've been testing my own against someone else," She admitted. "And… Can I ask you a quick question? Something that I've been thinking about since we first started fighting?"

I shrugged, gesturing her to go ahead with it and the blonde sighed.

"Were you… trying to hold back?"

… "No, why?"

"You weren't holding back?"

"As I've said, no. It was a spar and..." I paused, slowly realizing what she was trying to get to ask about and… I sighed. "No I didn't hold back. Especially not because you're a girl."

"But-"

"There's no butts. I really put myself into that spar, like you did yourself," I interjected tiredly. "And with this resolved… I think I will go back to sleep."

Ria looked slightly irked by this final comment, but just as she prepared to rebuke that, she proceeded to let out a quick yawn, making me yawn too. Her face reddened up again, and instead of commenting about the situation, she merely settled with a nod and a quick 'goodnight'.

I was incredibly tired, ready to get myself some sleep and… the warm sheets and pillows welcomed me just fine back in that nice bed. I slowly drifted away into unconsciousness, incredibly unaware that things tomorrow were indeed going to become… rather awkward.

_**If only I had known that my newest friend was actually going to become (also) my newest rival!**_

* * *

**AN**

**...I bet I shocked some people and-**

'**NO, ARTRYA IS SUPPOSED TO BE TUGH AND STRONK!'**

…

**Yeah, about that I… decided to follow up Garden of Avalon considering that Artie wasn't cold and Kingly since day one. Her commitment to the role started around the time Gawain came around and joined the Round Table. Because yes, Gawain isn't here yet… but someone else is. Someone that will be fairly dangerous to face early on.**

**On another note, the reason why the update took me so long to write is because I write a lot. This is not an attempt to whine or brat, just a remainder that I write a lot, and I tend to burden myself a lot over this kind of stuff. My saving grace being that I don't have much pressure from RL right now.**

**P.S. For next chapter: Expects lots of misunderstandings, shenanigans, silent conversations made with looks and glaring, and… and Memelin. He's back… with a vengeance!**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Sultan Asil Arslan****: Can't tell specifically what happens to both, but I've plans about them.**

**Victorsan12345****: Artoria's subjects knew early on that she was a woman. I think this is mentioned in Sir Kay's reports from… Garden of Avalon. Can't remember if that's the correct source, but Kay does point out that the first lords that Supported Artoria knew of her gender, but supported her nonetheless for the sword picking her and for the fact that she was Uther's legitimate heir.**

**KurokamiTendou****: A little too awkward to cramp up Cao Cao's lance in there… plus that would be overly absurd considering the requirements and the location where the spear would be rn.**

**AO Black****: Geography can change, especially if the maps are particularly old and barely used by the kings in the isles. So yes, MC will introduce some 'new' terms for the regions in Britain.**

**Ascandas****: Ah, a hardcore and loyal fan. The Author is pleased~!**

**Tetho****: Right now? Merlin is going to deal with some awkward situation he has created. Still, he will plot and do some sketchy schemes shortly after this tiny parenthesis.**


	11. Friend- or not? (2)

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**F/SN, F/Z, F/KPI and other products related to the Fate Series are all owned by TYPE-MOON, Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 10****: Friend… or not? (2)**

* * *

A new morning came and with that the entire avalanche that was the issue at hand crashed onto my poor sleepy brain.

Surprisingly enough, I didn't find other problems in catching some rest after that unexpected sparring session. That encounter with Ria had been… quite entertaining. And I was sure that I wasn't the only one thinking that.

The girl had looked genuinely relieved when we started the match, and despite the strange outcome, that pretty smile just helped to put me at ease in my bed. I had helped someone… during a boredom-driven midnight stroll.

How many can say that? Except Alucard, of course.

With the first sun light coming through the two windows of the room, my state of sleep was slowly but steadily interrupted. I blinked just once before I realized that I wasn't already done with this frustrating situation.

Sounds cocky, but I really wanted to be done with this crappy predicament and be back home for some more paperwork. Never before I had felt the interest in drowning in that paper-hell, and I can see quite clearly that it wasn't a normal instance that was driving me to that point.

Putting on my proper clothes and armor, I proceeded to leave my bedroom to check on the others. Altuos was already out and wandering the castle as his room was barren of his presence. He was probably gone to check the city's Magus Guild.

Felicianus was… resting. Loudly so. I didn't expect him to be a loud snoring kind of sleeper.

I didn't bother looking inside, feeling rather uncomfortable at the thought of disturbing an old man like him in his rest. I decided to move onto the next room.

Lancelot was finishing putting on his armor. Despite my early suggestions of trying to get a forger to get him lighter curaisse, the knight was adamant in keeping this battle iron for the rest of his tenure under my kingdom.

A gift. That's how he had justified the steely reluctance to 'upgrade' his defensive garb.

Finally I went to check on Myasviel and… she was awake. The girl's red eyes were fixed at the ceiling, a confused look brightly displayed on her beautiful face.

What an odd sight.

I made a step in the room, stopping to knock at the now-open door. She blinked before turning her sight on me. A smile appeared, and I felt a little better about today.

"Good morning, Mya."

"Joseph," The white-haired young woman greeted back mirthfully. "I'm… sorry that I'm not up from bed… yet."

I frowned at the apology. "I'm not offended. But is there something bothering you?"

"Bothering me?" She repeated softly, almost surprised and I nodded.

"You seem distressed. Did something happen yesterday or-"

"No. It's… It's complicated. It think," She admitted with a sigh. "I had a strange dream..."

"A dream? Did you dream something bad?"

Mya shook her head, denying that possibility. "It was just… unpleasant. Like I couldn't help but be distressed while staring at the colors."

Colors? What was she talking about?

"Blue, black, red and… anger," She described without stopping in her words. "So much anger. And…it's directed at us."

Blinking at that comment, I thought about this curious dream. It wasn't some silly one from the way the young woman was mentioning it. So unnerved, so uneasy before what she had seen in that vision.

Altuos had mentioned that something like this was possible, but to think that it would happen now that the situation was so fragile.

I felt dread at this development, but I hid these thoughts from manifesting their dark undertone on my expressions. I merely sported a weak smile, nodding at Mya.

"Then I guess we will have to keep an eye for any strange occurrences," I concluded with a sigh. "You should probably start getting up and… change back to your dress."

She nodded, a small smile rising to her face to try and match mine. I could still see the troubled inner state of her mind over this topic, but I was glad that she was making an effort to keep herself positive through that negative chance.

I left her room, this time my mind shifting in the effort to try where Altuos had gone by. Surely the old man knew a little bit more about visions that I did.

Colors. How the fuck I'm supposed to make out a possible ordeal out of mere colors.

Black, blue and… red. An odd combination that just limited any possible suspects that could walk in and screw things up. Maybe the party-poopers were already there, withing King Arthur's entourage.

With Lancelot on my side, there were just a handful of knights that were supposedly in the guy's camp as of now. Some sounded rather unpleasant in facing in a 'fair fight', while others felt more reasonable to fight against considering my current abilities.

Still, my current priority was to find the elusive Magus elder, get some more insight over this strange dream Mya had experienced, and perhaps inquire about upgrading Crocea Mors' current runes.

Sounds like a simple plan.

Sadly, fate had other plans as I ended up running into two men talking. One was Quintus, the holder of this city and castle, while the other was… someone I was unfamiliar with.

Looking at the unknown man, I was forced to hold back a shiver as the dreadful sight just felt so wrong.

The pure black armor just exuded a degree of uneasiness. Dark hair combed back in a formal hold and his pale skin just made his piercing blue eyes the more difficult to stare at.

"King Joseph," The older individual greeted coolly but politely. "I didn't expect you to be awake at this hour."

"I've some plans for today before the meeting with Arthur," I replied calmly. "And I hope this is a good morning for you, Consul Quintus."

The use of the former Roman title seemed to gain a small grin from the elder, just like I had expected from someone so attached to Rome. Despite my hopes of getting going after this brief interaction, the attention soon shifted at his former interlocutor.

"Before I forget, your highness, I present you… Agravain."

Fuck.

The dark-haired man bowed, his stare fixed on me while I prepared to address him properly.

"It's... a pleasure to make your acquaintance," I muttered, getting a nod from him.

"I've heard interesting things about your deeds…_ your highness_."

He sounded so smooth. Almost like a perfect manipulator.

I've to be careful around this person, or I might end up with more than just this trouble to face.

"I've did pretty little. I've yet to do half of what I've planned for this year."

Bragging? Hopefully, I was going to bluff him.

"Still, your first actions as the ruler of Londinium are difficult to just ignore," The man pressed with a fascinated tone. "Not only you drove away the rank of invaders that were well beyond the soldiers you could've mustered, but you did so while consolidating your rule… and preparing a punitive expedition."

I feel like Merlin had caught news of this while visiting. Rather frustrating to learn that Arthur was well-aware of my activities through this unplanned discussion, but I held back from scowling at the discovering.

Before I had the chance to answer to that, I felt soft footstep approaching. I glanced behind, taking notice of Lancelot as he stopped by my right side.

"My liege," He greeted again. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Not truly," Agravain interrupted for me. "And I've heard about you too, Sir Lancelot du Lac."

"Hopefully nothing dreadful," I muttered.

"No, quite the opposite I dare to say." The dark-haired man quickly admitted. "In fact, I'm surprised that you didn't arrive in the isles much earlier."

"I was unsure how to approach the chaotic situation that is unfolding in Britain. While my homeland isn't by any mean peaceful, I was uneasy to step in a land that I knew so little about," He explained without hesitation. "But I'm glad that I found certainty under King Joseph."

I almost smiled at that, but the implicit compliment was then used for something else.

"Then you can surely agree with me that your monarch did an incredible work. Beyond the limits of mere humans."

"I wasn't doing much more than what a proper administrator should've done," I calmly rebuked.

My answer made the dark-armored knight frown. "Why would you need to diminish the value of your impressive victories? As a king, surely you understand that those highlight the truth. Your superiority to the common man."

…What?

"My… superiority?" I repeated with immense confusion dripping from my voice. "Can you please… elaborate?"

He frowned, but still offered a slow nod before actually explaining.

"As a king, you're chosen to be someone way beyond the simple human. Your power, your wisdom, your capacity of winning against impossible odds-"

"That's not what truly makes a king… a king," I interjected, starting to understand what he was implying with this concept of kinghood. It felt so detached from the material title… and more reaching for the divine undertone that the title has in this period. "That sounds more like what a hero should be. Which would make sense since some heroes do become kings."

"What?" Agravain asked blankly.

"A king is a sovereign, a ruler. The main purpose of a king is to do whatever it takes to help his people. You will never see a king donning some flashy armor and go alone against a couple hundreds of enemies while leaving his kingdom to rot in corruption and disorganization," I continued to explain. "He rules first, by example and by truth. He doesn't bow to nobody but to the moral good, the one thing nobody with proper intentions can abstain to."

I turned to look at Quintus. "Julius Caesar didn't pass the Rubicon just for the sake of power. Rome had long been forsaken to stagnation. The lack of central leadership and the decay of the Senate had been the main catalyst for a need within the Romans. A leader, a brave general that could understand the daily plights and act accordingly to it. That didn't espouse bribery, that didn't accept compromises."

"An Imperator," The Latin muttered softly, almost coaxed by the remembrance of the old glory that was the first decades of the Roman Empire. "You've his sword."

I tensed up a little at that sudden statement, and I unconsciously patted at the scabbard holding Crocea Mors. Still, I nodded. "I do."

"You… truly walk like a Roman," He commented, and my eyes widened in surprise at that genuine compliment. "So confident, but so calculative. It's… it's absurd."

The old man looked impressed, and his tone just wasn't holding anything back about it.

"It's all about honesty in one's actions," I confided with a sigh. "After all, the safety of the people should be the highest law."

The last bit… it was a quote. One that the elder easily understood as the one that owned this phrase was… unforgettable to a roman.

"Cicero..."

I nodded. "You study, you learn, but, most of it all, you improve by past's mistakes," I added. "The Imperium Romanorum. It was great. But it ended because of long-term flaws. Stagnation struck again-"

"And the greatness was soiled by barbarians," Quintus muttered, shivering in light anger.

"Maybe," I interceded with a sad smile. "Or maybe it was misunderstanding, not only among the Romans, but also with those around us that led to the end of the Empire."

"Constantinople still exists-"

A legitimate address, but one that was silly considering the circumstances.

"But they speak more Greek than Roman," I reminded with a frown. "They dress more in purple, than in red. They call it imperial purpure."

"You seem rather… accustomed with Roman affairs, your highness," Agravain commented with a hint of surprise.

"I just… know about the world around us. The isles are but just a small part of what we know… and what we don't know."

Cryptic and kind of trolly. Perhaps they would end up wondering what I mean with the allusion to 'unknown' lands, but I was quite sure the two would never realize I was talking about the 'New World' on the other side of the Atlantic.

"I've only heard few tales about Rome," Lancelot stated with a curious tone. "Is it true that… it burned once?"

I frowned at that very question, and I could see Quintus share a dark look at that reminder that not everything was sunshine back in the 'old days' of the empire.

"Yes and… I will answer a little more about it in private."

The plum-haired knight frowned at the forced end to that query, but he seemed to relent as he noticed my uneasy expression over the topic.

I knew that Nero was the one responsible for the fire because he wanted to have enough space to build his Domus Aurea. But this truth was still ignored by the large majority as there was no 'legitimate proof' pinning the flamboyant emperor to the heinous deed.

_To be fair, that wasn't the worst thing done by Nero. Just thinking of what he did to Sporus was enough to make me wish bleach was a thing in this age and time._

Before the conversation could've resumed away from that subject, our attention was driven away as a young knight rushed around the corner and… stopped right in front of Agravain.

"S-Sir Agravain. The king request your presence."

The dark-armored knight nodded, glancing behind. "May I be excused? My liege has requested my presence and-"

"I don't think we really have a reason to restrain you from complying to that order, Sir Agravain," I interrupted with a nod, staring at Quintus. "At least, I don't have any issues with that."

"You may return to your liege, Sir Agravain," The Governor confirmed with a nod before turning his attention at me. "And I suppose you should regroup your entourage, King Joseph. The convention should happen in an hour time from now."

We lost so much time already?

I was surprised at that comment, but I swiftly sobered out from my surprise and frowned at the elder.

"Actually, I was trying to find where Court Magician Altuos was and-"

"Your highness- I wish to apologize for running so suddenly but-"

I stopped, my stare moving a couple of meters behind the governor. The elusive old man was there and… he looked slightly embarrassed as he dragged two big sacks filled with… ingredients of various kinds.

He went shopping… for magical stuff.

Now he looked incredibly tired, and… I was confused by the apologetic tone. Was I missing something about it?

The truth was… no. He just felt ashamed of the fact he had used most of the money… I had given to him with the purpose of doing whatever he wanted with it.

Truly an inconsolable moron when he wanted despite years of wisdom and experience making him appear like a proper life-teacher.

Still, he was back and, after saluting Quintus and making our way back to the living quarters assigned to us.

Once we were all regrouped we reconvened for a final discussion about the meeting and… we prepared for what was going to be quite the diplomatic mess to fix with precision and mercilessness.

One thing was certain in my mind. I wasn't going to let anything get a reaction out of me during that blasted convention.

* * *

It's been a while since I've last felt this much regret.

Perhaps it was the fact that I had yet to make a colossal overstatement, even one within my thoughts, just like the one I had set myself to respect as we entered the large meeting room.

The very moment I had the chance to glance at King Arthur… I knew that something was immensely off about the one that was meant to be my greatest enemy as of now.

The first thing that I could say about the 'man' was that he was incredibly young and short compared to me. Quite surprising, but not the worst detail yet to digest in that overall appearance.

Starting from 'his' shoulder-length blond hair and 'his' green-blue eyes, I couldn't help but almost trip while getting on my seat.

_Ria_ almost did the same when she realized that I was the other King in this occasion. And while the rest of our respective groups took their own seats in that long table, we both ended up avoiding making eye-contact with one another.

The situation was incredibly awkward, and rightfully so considering that the young sassy blonde that I had sparred with the night before was the legendary King of the Britons.

If up until now I held some hopes that this wasn't some animesque scenario of medieval times, the fact I was literally staring at the Gender-bent version of a renowned figure as Arthur was more than enough to crush anything that was left of my prayers.

It didn't help that Mya felt the need to mention that 'King Arthur is a cute dummy'. I really had to put my entire mind in not exploding in chuckles at that very comment, knowing that the blonde was so feminine that she got instantly labeled 'cute' by the white-haired woman.

To distract myself from blurting out anything even so remotely embarrassing or telling of the fact that I _knew _that Arthur was… Artoria, I decided to do the only thing that had some reasoning to it and wouldn't gain too much attention.

I glared at Merlin, and the cheeky bastard grinned back at me.

I was ready to throw my most hateful look possible from within my core, but I soon was distracted by something unexpected and… fluffy.

It was a small critter, its fur as white as the hair of the man he was sitting by his shoulder on. He looked to be wearing a small piece of cloth, enchanting the adorable element and… matching so well with those cute blue eyes staring right at me.

My glare softened in a surprise look and… I saw the small squirrel-cat tilt its head to the side in a curious manner. Yet, the critter's attention slowly turned to the young lady sitting beside me.

There was some silence at first as everyone was checking on the papers we had on ourselves and… the small animal gracefully walked down to the table, stopping only in front of Mya. The young woman stared at the situation with mirthful interest and she giggled as the little thing dropped down and rolled to show its fluffy belly.

"Fou~"

Belly-rubs ensued at that. I blinked calmly at the scene, slowly returning to look in front of me at Artoria and… noticing quite the worried look on her face as she stared tensely at the small critter.

"It would seem like Cath Palug took a liking for the fair maiden."

Yeah, and he seems quite happy about-

…

No.

Nononono.

**Oh Hell NO!**

Yet the description matched way too painfully for Merlin to be just trolling. A small rodent-like critter with white fur and… its name just made me pale in realization.

A strong monster, one which strength was best represented by Monty Python's King Arthur trying to kill it with his knights… and failing miserably in the process.

The only solution had yet to be invented and… I was unsure if that comedic answer made with cheap special effects could be replicated.

_Still, I think it's time to invest in making some Holy Hand Grenades if I really wish to survive future encounters… if I survive this one alright._

With that subtle threat thrown in by the jerk of a magician, I tried my best to ignore the fact that Mya was playing with a creature that just couldn't be considered cute without the adverb 'murderously' attached to it.

I noticed Altuos paling too at the sight, while the others seemed blissfully unaware of the monstrosity restrained in that adorable form. Truly that thing's going to be dynamite if enabled in any way.

"I… I think we should begin with this convention," 'Arthur' coughed nervously while muttering this, looking down at some papers she was holding. "King Joseph of Britannia, I'm glad that you've accepted to come here in Venta Belgarum, home of Governor Quintus Peltrasius Natalinus, to discuss about the content of the letter I've sent you with utmost interest and reverence."

...Interest and reverence? She might be alluring enough to draw a slight crave from within my mind to reach out and pat her for being so serious and formal in such a difficult situation, but I wasn't certainly going to accept this little bout of impudence without some retaliation!

I gave a slow nod. "King Arthur of the Britons, I hope that the trip was a pleasant one… considering that I've to state some skepticism over your 'reverence' over the content of the letter given by your Court Wizard. In fact, I'm slightly appalled and confused by you using such a term to depict the emotion behind such demands."

First step in winning a diplomatic struggle. Exert T-posing dominance upon your opponent to secure a good head start.

Surprise was glinted by her green-blue eyes, and Artoria looked fairly stomped by my rebuttal. So much that only a word left her lips.

"What?"

"Your demands were direct, and blatantly formal. No friendliness, and no truthful effort in securing any good-willed intention," I replied curtly and fiercely. "In fact, I want to know if you're jesting now or not."

The blonde tensed up even more at my fiery tone, but soon her eyes narrowed at me with incredible annoyance and confusion.

"My letter was clear in its intent. I didn't ask for anything grave or heinous as you're depicting, King Joseph, and I'm fairly sure that there was no other reason to think about any other meaning to my words."

"And I'm quite sure that your demands were way beyond 'grave and heinous'. In fact, the text almost lacked these words to be properly unveiled as such."

"And I'm quite sure that an alliance shouldn't have warranted this much dissent, especially with the looming threat over our kingdoms!"

"But I know that- wait, alliance?" I stopped to inquire, irritation replaced by sudden confusion. "What alliance?"

"The one I've mentioned in the letter. I'm quite sure that the wording was quite direct and undeniably towards that kind of intent when-"

"Now, wait a moment," I interrupted with a growing suspicion over Merlin's amusement towards our heated debate. "You sent me a letter demanding from me to surrender the crown and proclaim you the only King of Britain."

She leaned back, frowning at my response. "I surely sent you a message of friendship, not one of imposition," 'Arthur' said with a huff. "I hope you understand that the weight of your words don't offer me much ground of trust when-"

"We still have the letter," Altuos commented quickly, bringing up the folded paper.

Merlin moved in as the paper was being passed to his liege. "It could've been altered. I wouldn't put much trust in it, my king."

Oh, you're not going to pull that sneaky one on me, you white-haired bastard!

"Consul Quintus, I recall that Venta Belgarum has its own Magus Guild. I don't think we're asking for too much to see if the letter had been tampered in any possible way."

The snap-request gained a curious look from the governor and an uneasy one from Merlin.

"It could be done," Quintus replied with a nod. "But it will take some time to see it checked properly. So if you can offer it to my guard to your… side."

I nodded at the slow indication, giving the folded paper at the armored man before he left the room for this new task. Once the doors were closed once more, the situation seemed to gain a somewhat awkward denotation.

Arthur was glancing quietly at the nervous-looking wizard, and I found myself distracted by a certain dangerous critter settling down in front of me. Cath Palug followed the same pattern used with Mya, exposed his fluffy belly.

"Fou!"

I sighed. "Aren't ya the demanding, little buddy?"

While common sense would've had me avoid making physical contact with the monstrous being, I still removed my right gauntlet and… I started to rub his belly.

"Fou~"

Some purring-like noises reached out from the pleased white 'rodent'.

I cracked a smile at the reaction, but just as I found some relief in that simple activity, my attention was taken away by the neutral mediator's voice breaking the silence once again.

"While I'm glad that any heated discussion is being delayed upon the inspection of that message," Quintus started with a strange tone. "I wish to bring up to both King Joseph's and King Arthur's attention that there has been a curious case that might interest you both."

I frowned, still rubbing the cute thing's fluff as I looked up at the governor with a confused look.

"Could you elaborate some more, Governor Quintus?" Artoria asked with a calm tone and… the elder sighed.

"Two strange occurrences have happened since your groups have arrived in Venta Belgarum, both of which strongly implies that you two are somehow responsible for."

I felt tensing up at these words, as my brain couldn't help but bring up only a single situation that could've gained this much attention from the old Roman.

"The first one was when two patrolling guards reported seeing 'two young individuals, a blond and a brunet, sparring silently under the pale moonlight' by the training grounds in the barracks," He finally said. "And the second thing was that two of our training swords were found destroyed."

…

"I hope you understand that I request some compensation for the broken swords."

I nodded… and so did Artoria as we both knew that he was well aware of our little sparring session.

Fucking hell, I hadn't thought that guards had seen us fighting. Paying compensation wasn't the worst considering the confused glances I was receiving from my group.

"Your highness, surely… there's an explanation for this."

I didn't look at Altuos, and the Magus slowly adopted a chiding look at the realization that my implication was legitimate.

"My king," Agravain muttered quietly, keeping himself from questioning his liege about her presence in that very setting.

We were both quiet as we were caught red-handed in the act. And it was slightly embarrassing to bear the staring we were receiving.

_A distraction would be nice right now…_

Just as I thought about this prayer, a familiar chuckle emerged from behind the chair of the governor.

Quintus tensed up in a panicked expression, trying to reach for the sword set by the chair's side but… freezing in the action. It was so sudden and I couldn't help but stare in shock as a familiar figure stepped away from the cover offered by the chair.

"Truly an interesting scene. Filled with amusing details, silly comedy and… two of my enemies," The tall woman muttered with a sigh. "Is this truly the day where a trick of yours backfired this badly, Emrys?"

"Morgan," Artoria regarded her sister with a stern tone and a fierce glare. "How dare you-"

"How indeed," The older blonde mused with regal amusement. "How could I, the legitimate ruler of this land, miss the opportunity to squash this little attempt of rebellion."

What?

"Dear brother of mine, did you seriously think that I would've been clueless of your efforts to band together with… him?" The woman asked while aiming an accusing finger at me. "A simple fool that ended up wearing a crown way bigger than he can wield?"

"Speaking from experience, Morgan?" I shot back with some sass. "By the way, how is your husband? Still unaware you're just using him for your own obsession."

"I reckon that my mercy hasn't resounded the idea that you're not in a position to talk back to me, _Joseph_," The blonde hummed. "But I guess that the concussion might have done some more than just allowing you to ogle at my frame."

She emphasized her final bit by bringing her crossed up down her bosom and… pushing up. I fought back the blush, knowing that it just wasn't the moment to be embarrassed by this.

Still, I now had a glimpse of why Arthur wanted an alliance. Her crazy sister was being a little more aggressive than usual. And also bolder at that too.

"I will be terribly honest and say that you're gorgeous," I confessed slowly much to her surprise. "But for what you've done, for what you plan to do- I can't help but see a terrible woman in front of me, in which hideousness can be found only in your deviated personality."

She giggled. "Flatterer."

Just as she said this, several dark figures formed right behind her. Soldiers donning dark uniforms and armors, holding various blades and weapons.

Yep, she brought in an army with her this time around.

I stood up from my chair, slowly taking Crocea Mors out of its sheath and taking a stance. Lancelot followed suit, and so did Artoria and Agravain.

Sighing, I took a moment to glance to the side and to the blonde. "Arthur."

She glanced back at me, giving me utmost attention as we prepared for the fight.

"We might have had our bumps, but I wish to know if you will lend me your strength, just like I shall offer mine to you for this battle."

Her eyes glimmered with determination at my words.

"Aye, my fellow king… and brother-in-arms."

The final word got a dark scowl out of Morgan, the various soldiers finally rushing at the table and…

_We all bolted towards the approaching enemy._

_**The room was drowned in pure and utter chaos as the battle against Morgan's invasion began.**_

* * *

**AN**

**Huzzah! Morgan is here and… oh my, oh my, Joe and Ria, brother in arms!**

**Last time I forgot to add in the AN about some amusing thoughts I've at the idea of an omake series labeled like 'Joe and Ria, a tale of childish and comedy' or something like that. The gig? They both disguise themselves while going in adventures… without leaving town.**

**Odd, stupid, but, most of all, horribly fluffy. Gah, my teeth are already rotting at the thought! HOW ****COULD IT BE!**

**Lastly, I wonder how Nasu and TM plans to 'explain' the whole Sporus depravation. If Nero burning Rome was bad, then that certainty is definitively worse. Much Worse.**

**...Maybe the personification of the Almighty UMU actually had a Gender-bent Sporus as a bride?**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Sultan Asil Arslan****: Next chapter will allude to a possible mean to acquire a new weapon. While in the process of doing something else too about the current ones.**

**Giovvaniauditore****: Minion, here's the gold! XD**

**MDAG****: I don't know about making an interlude. As per lore, Lancelot was one of the first ones to join the Round Table, but not the first one in the Fateverse. The legend itself has that he had been a knight long time when he first caught notice of Arthur and that after keeping nearby to see the King of Knights at work, he ended up joining the Round Table after a while it was around.**


	12. Friend- or not? (3)

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**F/SN, F/Z, F/KPI and other products related to the Fate Series are all owned by TYPE-MOON, Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 11****: Friend… or not? (3)**

* * *

Murphy says that anything that can go wrong will go wrong. The rule is fairly simple, or at least it does seem so at a first listening.

But when you start to ponder over the fact that it doesn't mention that you need to know said 'wrong' and why it happens, then things tend to become quite… difficult.

Just like fending off a large force of shadow men created by Morgan.

I don't exactly remember if it was me or Ria that got the first blood drawn from the approaching enemies, but I can say for sure that this clash became quite the massacre… for the attackers.

The dark magician was playing on winning by slamming a human wave made by her puppets against us. The issue was that the quantity was far too limited to match well with the quality of the fighters defending the room.

With Altuos and Merlin joining forces to distract Morgan from actively attack us with magic, the brawl was left to me, Ria, Lancelot, and Agravain. Quintus had taken the opportunity to rush out of the room, his yells for guards to rally keeping me aware of the fact that we were going to get some reprieve anytime now.

I couldn't exactly see what the others were doing as I had opted to dive in within that large multitude of faceless fiends. Glimmering in my hands as it slashed through my opponents, Crocea Mors felt terribly light compared to usual. It just felt incredibly swift, and powerful, but I had yet to activate its true power.

It took me a moment to realize that it was my adrenaline kicking in with what looked to be a fierce stand against the relentless fiends. I swirled around, with my blade soaring quickly and hitting everything in my proximity.

There was no noise except for the mud-like substance making up these unflinching monsters flying around with the unforgiving strikes. I didn't relent for a single instant over my advantage, keeping myself moving as my feet hardly kept still by the ground.

Things weren't the best possible, but I had quite the hopeful thought that this wasn't getting any worse with Morgan still distracted and incapable of producing more of the low-tier monsters.

But just as I stabbed the umpteenth shadow, I noticed that something was wrong about the situation.

While I hadn't kept the count over the number of enemies I had slain, I was quite sure that the grinding task should've already lessened the presence of so many opponents around me.

Frowning at the suspicions over the absurd circumstance, I still tried to focus on the fight rather than contemplate the lack of genuine progress in what should've been an easy task.

But the doubts kept growing and growing… until I finally realized why I wasn't getting anywhere by attacking the mob of monsters.

"They're regenerating."

I blinked in surprise as I saw a familiar frame move through a trio of shadows, bisecting these with a single horizontal slash.

"Ria, fancy seeing you still in a single piece." I muttered quietly, drawing my voice to a decibel lower than the noise of metal clashing. Arthur's eyes widened at the nickname, but she huffed as she noticed that nobody was paying attention at our little interaction.

"Jos-_Joe_, the situation is quite serious."

"I know," I hummed before cleaving two shadows at once. "But… kind of difficult if we have to use our real names. It is a tense moment."

"More like a senseless brawl," The blonde quickly pointed out. "We need to aim at the source. Magic like this can be broken only if the caster is killed."

"So we going after your big sister?"

She scowled at the 'affectionate title', but with a quick nod the girl confirmed the absurdly simple plan.

Go after Morgan, hopefully kill her, and then try to fix things.

Fuck, why this chaos offered so much simplicity compared to the usual normalcy!?

Still, we carefully started to make our way towards the distracted woman. The blonde was grinning as she tried to throw a magical spear at Altuos, only for Merlin to intercept the attack with a blue beam coming from his staff.

The magical exchange was fairly heated and intense, and Morgan was hardly paying attention to her surrounding as Ria and I rushed towards her.

We were moments away from landing some quick blows on her side, and I could see some surprise form by her bright eyes as she noticed this.

But then something bizarre happened… in the form of us being pushed away almost too quickly.

I saw a bright energy channel by her arm and then… we were shoved away. I found myself suddenly slamming by the floor, while Artoria was sent soaring on the wall behind me.

Wait, how did she react this quickly if there were two individuals keeping an eye on her. It was in that moment that I saw the shadow-men storming where Merlin and Altuos were, and I soon realized how isolated Ria and I were as of now.

The younger blonde was slightly non-responding. I guess a one-way trip to the stone wall was enough to put her at a brief impasse about keeping awake or not.

Knowing that I couldn't take a break away from action now more than ever with Morgan now focusing on us, I quickly stood up… only to be forced to lift up Crocea Mors to match up at the approaching blade.

The steel was familiar, and the blue decoration by the hilt gave me confirmation of how fucked the situation was.

Morgana was smiling, giddily so as she brandished Caliburn with confidence and clear understanding of swordsmanship.

Wasn't the sword supposed to be wielded only by Arthur? Or maybe I was losing a lesson or two detailing this very detail _since, you know, I was busy not getting myself killed._

"Not this time," She muttered mirthfully and soon I found myself backing away from the relentless barrage of attacks thrown by the giggling mad woman. I was barely keeping up with her speed.

My defense was hardly enough to sustain the assault, and my armor was dented left and right the more strikes breached through my attempts to block her out from reaching my torso.

"You could surrender to me."

"And then what? Become your second, disposable Lot?" I inquired sarcastically. "It's quite unpleasant to think that you, a mother, would send her own children to fight for your own battle."

"Spare your final breath, Joseph," Morgan rebuked with a condescending tone. "Everyone is out for success. People die on a daily basis and you're nothing but a mere independent Pawn piece in the chessboard. It's only your fault if you decided to surrender yourself at some flimsy emotions."

"It's more of me being a good person than else," I happily reminded, keeping quiet for some time as I dodged a couple of her strikes. "And still, that doesn't justify why you've to throw others to make your bidding. That's not much kingly on your part."

A giggle left her lips. "As if a King is defined by determined rules. A king is a conqueror, a sovereign that should never be doubted in their decisions."

She suddenly leaned in, and I saw her smile deviously for a moment.

"just like you."

I snarled. "Oh please, I ain't sending my own kids to do my own laundry," I shot back with an annoyed tone. "Plus, your breath is quite stinky-"

Her pace intensified at that insult, and I instantly regretted calling out the fact that mints weren't a thing in medieval times. At least, not in the British Isles.

"Keep talking, Joseph. Your chances of living through this are close to none," Morgan added with a sigh. "It's just a colorful addition to your final demise."

"Or my ultimate comeback," I stated with a forced grin. "You know, the hero wins against the bitch and then everyone is happy."

She frowned at my words. "Surely you meant witch, you incompetent fool."

My grin widened, and her eyes narrowed dangerously as she pressed on even more with her attacks.

I almost chuckled, but then again this wasn't a laughing matter. I was getting beaten by this slender lady, and I had now to ask about this.

"Did Uther seriously train you? Like, how the heck are you this strong?"

"Too little, too late for flattering compliments, pretender," The blonde commented fiercely before pushing me down and preparing to attack me from there. "I will allow you to bow and beg for a quick death."

I blinked, squinting my eyes at the pain I was suffering from some shallow injuries forming by my sides. I wasn't planning any surrendering today… and I knew how to get a breather out of this frustrating one-sided confrontation.

"You know, if you call yourself the proper king of the country, you could at least have the decency of fixing your indecent cloth," I pointed out dryly.

The eagerness to conclude that match disappeared momentarily as an awkward and dreading expression appeared on her face as she stared down to check if her dress had some issues.

…But there wasn't any.

The real issue was a swift left hook that painfully slammed on the side of her confused face. I had my gauntlets on and I could hear the glorious iron slam on her pale skin.

Recoiling in a mix of pain and surprise, Morgan allowed me to finally stand up and make plans to what to do next now that I could think properly and without much pressure.

And just as I thought I had been blessed with a few seconds to formulate a strategy and get through with this dangerous confrontation, I saw a particularly furious blur rush onto the distracted woman and retaliate further upon her weakened state.

Ria looked… pissed. I think the term hardly generalized the amount of hatred and anger that was burning in her face as she rushed for her sword.

I guess that the little theft was enough to drove her out of her calm and sassy shell and right onto beating the crap out of her sibling. Isn't that true sister-brother(which is actually a sister) love?

It was right as I began digesting the fact that the physical beating was actually yielding some results that logic decided to crash back in that absurd context.

Artoria was sent for another flight, and this time she ended up crashing onto me. Stopping myself from tripping back down on the ground, I gave her a pat on the shoulder before letting her stand on her own.

"Can you please not rush like that?"

"She got my sword!"

"I can see that," I added with a nod. "But… shouldn't we be planning something instead of-"

"I will kill you, Arthur!" Morgan shrieked furiously. A broken nose and various cuts across her upper body would make everyone as pissed as she was. "And I will use the very symbol that made you defy the truth. I'm the rightful ruler, you usurper."

Just as that proclamation ended, I sobered up at the sight of Caliburn starting to burn a bright golden. Just like Crocea Mors would when its true potential was unlocked.

Gritting my teeth, I started to run towards the wounded magician, ignoring the shouts from Ria and the approaching figures that were Lancelot and Agravain.

I hadn't noticed that the shadow-men had disappeared… but I really had a good reason to be this much distracted by the world as a whole.

While I didn't know what exactly Caliburn's true power would do, I knew well enough that it wasn't anything about close quarters if the user was currently keeping her distance even now.

So I had to get close and personal again, and hopefully disrupt her efforts to release the accumulating energy within the sword.

"You think you can just approach me like this? Do you fail to see that your intervention is inconsequential before someone of my kind and power?" The blonde pointed out sternly. "Why do you think approaching me now that you're severely weakened and outmatched will make the difference?!"

I could almost see the classic violet-colored 'menacing' exuding out of the dangerous woman.

Instead of letting her strong words push me down, I found the meme actually bring me more energy in my swift rush.

"Good grief, how do you think I should kill you if I don't get close enough?!" I half-yelled, my blade already burning a brighter gold. "**Crocea Mors!**"

Her eyes widened a little bit at my response, and she interrupted her energy channeling to… turn Caliburn right at my approaching attack.

The energy that had accumulated in her sword slammed right onto the weapon that was once Caesar's.

I felt my entire body tremble at the immediate clash as the two magical swords started to fight over which of the two was the superior one.

The second most famous blade in the Arthurian Circle, or the sword that led Julius Caesar to many of his first few victories?

I could feel my core explode in raw frustration as I tried to push her back, but the clash soon developed in a fierce stalemate that saw us both strain before the might of the weapons in our hold.

"This sword- it was made to represent the truest king. You dare compare yourself a monarch when you yourself doubt every step you take. A failure of a claimant that shall be squashed by my magic and my brother's sword!"

Dark electricity started to spread across the surface of Caliburn, and soon I felt getting pushed back by an ever-increasing amount of power being funneled in that powerful blade.

I put everything I got left in that strike, drawing onto the 'magical energy' that Altuos had me just tap into for some minor magecraft concepts. Huffing, I lessened the pressure exerted by Morgan, but I was way too far from actually stop her advance.

My hopes were crumbling fast, with my jaws dropping as I spotted several cracks forming on the surface of Crocea Mors.

Was that it? Was I going to die like this?

If I lost this clash, I was going to get hit by Morgan. There was no way for me to dodge a followup hit from her.

"You're a mere commoner that got lucky. A simpleton that is trying to wage a senseless campaign against true monarchs. A faker and-!"

I was losing badly, I knew that defeat was around the corner, but just as the blonde sprouted the umpteenth about her being superior, and me being a worm, I noticed Caliburn actually… cracking under the pressure created by the clash and the sudden energy increase.

I blinked, and we both knew that something was off with the supposedly stronger sword. Something had intensified its decline to a point where it was weakening faster than Crocea Mors.

It was now or never-!

Snarling furiously, I pushed with renewed might over the clash, capitalizing over Morgan's shock to push her back to our original position and crack even more at the shattering blade.

And then… I pushed even harder. I saw Crocea Mors pass through the single entity stopping its powerful attack, splitting Caliburn in two halves in the process.

Blood spurted out of the woman's shoulder as the trajectory of my weapon saw her left one nicked by the sharp end of the sword.

She recoiled in horror and pain, her hold over the handle of Caliburn trembling before letting the object slip out of her hand.

"Y-You-" Her wide eyes showed a moment of true terror before my victory, but I had yet to seal my success. I took just a step in and… the world went blank.

Or rather, _the world went blank only for me._

I hadn't expected for a panicked Morgan to actually act through that situation, yet her right hand swiftly reached for Crocea Mors' bladed edge to push it close to my chest… before throwing a spell that replicated an earthquake through the sword.

The blade finally cracked and shattered… but so did the floor beneath us and my ribs.

I spat blood before tripping backward in a moment of sudden stiffness. My body was shivering, my skin growing pale at the amount of pain I was going through.

I was breathing blood, but I could still feel my lungs work through the stress. No punctured lung, the joy.

I coughed again, and this time I heard footsteps approaching.

Morgan didn't linger. I couldn't exactly understand if this was fear or surprise dictating her hasty retreat despite her comeback. I was there, bleeding on the floor as everyone finally rushed at me.

Quintus had returned, but soldiers weren't needed in this specific circumstances.

I could see white strands of hair and a pair of crying red eyed over my face as my sight grew fuzzier.

_Please God, don't let me die like this in front of her._

My consciousness slipped more and more, the drain on my body's energies because of the battle and the final clash taking a serious toll on my capacity to keep awake.

Voices turned indistinguishable, and I felt my sense of perception faltering to a numb sensation.

I closed my eyes, and I prayed this wasn't how I died.

_**With a broken Crocea Mors and a tired mind, Joseph slipped away in unconsciousness, his conditions critical and closing up to true death…**_

* * *

**AN**

**I know, I know. This sounds like a cliffhanger, but we can all agree that it actually isn't. It sounds like one, but I'm not really leaving a big question at the end of this chapter.**

**Also, small chapter. I reckon that I could over-bloat it with words and sentences, but then again I can work so much with this situation before making this a senseless monologue.**

**Next chapter will be as lengthy as usual, I just needed to create a circumstance through the chapter without rupturing the aftermath.**

**Why did Caliburn broke without even properly activating?** **It is mentioned in Fate Grand Order's profile for Saber that Caliburn couldn't be used properly by Artoria because her Magical Essence was so dense and massive that the sword wouldn't have been able to process it properly. Morgan wasn't aware of this detail, as the only one that knows of this characteristics was Merlin himself at the time. So when she overcharged the sword to try and overwhelm Crocea Mors, she got a temporary boost at the price of a quick degradation for Caliburn's conditions. **

**Also, Jojo reference. Tomorrow I have to update Absolute Divinity after all.**

**BTW, new story. Inspired by the concept of Self-Inserting in a villain for a second time, I've created 'Peerless Darkness'. What is this? Danzo SI that begins right by the childhood of the Shinobi no Yami. It's pace is meant to be quicker than Absolute Divinity and it will be packed with more early action.**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**AO Black****: That's actually a fair way to depict OG Nero's history. What we know about him is through his former teacher/Philosopher Seneca (which manipulated the first few years of his reign together with his mother), Suetonius and Tacitus, and that might have been manipulated out of the fact that Nero had a deep dislike for the Senatorial Aristocracy.**

**Crown of Reaper****: Maybe after the epilogue (I think a Singularity); Joseph might have the Ruler class other than Saber out of the fact that the Grail wouldn't have anything to offer to him. An Alter? Perhaps. I will show Servants Sheets when I have some ready.**

**Ptl****: Yes.**

**Templarsith****: Maybe as a Crack Story for when I'm done with ToTK.**

**ProfesorGoblitz****: Oh? No, this is just plain Memelin in action. He was that much crude with his machinations before FGO.**

**HateReborn27****: Something about Joseph just make his Clairvoyance go nuts. He can't get a proper reading.**

**Giuseppe:**** If he had a Machine gun, then yes. But a rifle might have some trouble if she retaliate with a powerful fire/wind spell to destroy/repel the bullets.**

**Halo****: With Saber getting cozy with another Servant much to a certain Golden Moron's grimace.**

**Leonidas rasec****: There are plans about that very ambitious route. And I can say that the Pope and the 'Roman Emperor' might have a more active role compared to the previous/crackier version of this story.**

**Kirito Emiya****: I would say it's a 'barbaric' version of the Roman one (Celtic Style).**

**RadioPoisoning****: Who knows. Things can happen, and I have an Arc dedicated to Morgan… and it will bring plenty of attrition between Ria and Joe.**

**Guest1****: If only Illya knew that one of the main characters is an ancestor to her family.**

**KitCat0922****: It's not the best fight scene considering the length, but I don't think it's crackish. I hope it's not. **_**And why aren't you the sweet-talker~!**_

**Sugoijack9****: There's a planned arc for Morgan. It will offer a part of her that does push her away from that stereotype.**


	13. Friend- or not? (4)

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**F/SN, F/Z, F/KPI and other products related to the Fate Series are all owned by TYPE-MOON, Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 12****: Friend… or not? (4)**

* * *

**~Different Perspective~**

There was an unpleasant amount of silence.

Artoria never liked the absolute quietness of these circumstances, but there wasn't anything in her power that she could genuinely do to avoid those.

Thus she kept quiet as she stood sitting over the unconscious form owned by her supposed rival.

The entire ward had been mostly deserted as of now, mostly because all healers had been working continuously in treating the wounds she and Joseph had sustained against Morgan.

Part of her was frustrated by how things had concluded, especially when she learned from Merlin that Caliburn hadn't been meant to be wielded in its full power by her.

It had been only a symbol of her power, but one that wasn't meant to be used in life-threatening battle against her foolish sister.

Merlin was starting to slowly become more of a pain than before. It was odd how someone that was supposed to be a powerful wizard was actually this pompous and infuriating… but he was also a wise teacher whenever he knew he couldn't make jokes about.

Despite his own dislike directed at Joseph, the Mage of Flowers had been the one to spearhead the use of magic to help the fellow King's recovery.

And thanks to everyone's support, the man's condition had properly stabilized. Now lying upon that small bed, the sight of Artoria's curious acquaintance and possibly friend was a state of peace within the uncertainty.

Because, while Joseph was away from death's grasp, the fact that he was still resting despite how many hours had already gone by since the battle was enough to increase Artoria's own worries over the matter.

But she wasn't alone to keep watch over the sleeping monarch, as an ever-watching Lancelot and a restless Myasviel had decided to stuck around their sovereign.

The knight was dutifully making sure that nothing happened to his king now that he was in the frailest of positions, while the white-haired woman was resting her head and arms over Joseph's chest.

Tears had been flowing out from her for several hours, and even though she had lost interest in crying, some sobs would still leave her lips from time to time before the sleeping man was put out of danger's zone.

It was a strange sight for sure. In fact, Artoria was confused as to why she was so influenced by such a natural reaction. It was only legitimate for someone to feel sorrow before the horrible ordeal suffered by those they cared for.

And yet, by looking at that, the blonde couldn't help but feel mortified. While she knew that feeling more than sadness over the unfortunate development would be a sign opposing the ideal of a true king, the fact that Joseph was so open to show genuine compassion and emotion before those beneath him in status was more than enough to leave her… perplexed.

Merlin had taught her that monarchs weren't meant to show any resemblance of 'fragile humanity', all because the people needed a fearless leader that led them to victory.

But what if the people needed more than just a commander?

She had experienced war. She had killed before. But she had never seen someone close to her die before her eyes.

It was that innocence that was meant to be shattered through indifference rather than experience… and yet she felt afraid at what would ensue in that circumstance.

Was this the right path for her?

When she took Caliburn out of the stone, she didn't do it just because it was her 'destiny'. It was also a mean for her to bring peace, stability, and happiness to those that truly deserved it.

How could people be happy if the king is unwilling to accept the joy and the brightness of success itself. Not as the sole conqueror of such emotions, but also as the bringer of harmony to its people.

Humbleness, but without coldly ignoring the rewards.

She sighed, keeping her stare directed at Joseph, but ending up noticing that Lancelot was glancing at her with a fascinated look.

"Sir Lancelot," Artoria started with a careful tone. Not enough soft to sound uneasy, but enough to sound uncertain about the wording of this complicated question. "May I ask you something about Lord Joseph?"

The tall man blinked, minor surprise flashing just briefly from his eyes before he offered a nod. "You may, Lord Arthur."

"Lord Joseph… does he ever worry that he might be wrong with his actions?" She asked calmly. "That he might end up making a mistake in each moves he make?"

Lancelot looked uncertain for a moment whenever or not confessing this little detail would be proper in these circumstances.

He glanced at Mya and… the Einzbern was staring at Artoria with a blank expression. The sight was slightly chilling considering how intense her red eyes were.

Magic?

There wasn't anything malicious, but the sheer density of her raw power was enough to make the blonde tense up at what this scene was causing within her.

In her mind, the very sight resembled a silent battle between a dragon and… a pale-scaled wyvern. While the Dragon was expected to win, the lesser creature was driven by sheer emotion and determination to protect those that she cares the most for.

It was… absurd. But so fierce and… admirable.

"King Joseph isn't perfect. I would even dare to say that what truly makes him stand out aren't his skills in combat or his capacity as a diplomat," The knight of the lake finally answered with a confident tone. "It's the way he can understand his people… and how his people understand and love him in return."

"But what if that's not enough?" Artoria forced her stare away from Mya. "What if… a king should be more?"

Lancelot blinked at that. "More of what, Lord Arthur?"

"A king should be leading by grace and resolution. He should be able to exert power with his truest superiority and-"

"I think this was a discussion milord had with your trusted knight, Sir Agravain."

Truly? She hadn't been aware of this. Maybe Agravain didn't feel the need to mention this, or maybe there was something that was best kept untouched within that conversation.

"King Joseph believes that a king should lead first to make sure that the people are protected and helped with their plights," He continued to speak, undeterred by the silence coming from the fellow knight. "He mentioned that heroes should be the one that go in mission of good, that theirs is the duty of directly going for the deeds of justice."

"It makes him sounds like a..."

She stopped just in time, well aware that giving out that word in a room with Lancelot wouldn't be proper. Especially when the person they were talking about was still resting.

"A good man with a curious opinion of how things work," The tall man suggested politely. "His idea of how a king is meant to rule isn't flawed. Not at all. In fact, while the argument might make him sound as if he shies away from the battlefield, the truth is that he would ride to the fight among those in the first line."

"I still don't… I don't understand. What is good in a king that prefers the throne to intervening directly and solving problems."

"You mistook my words, Lord Arthur," Lancelot pointed out with a nod. "And I think your understanding of what 'sitting on the throne' means is actually mistaken too."

"What?"

"While you might not have the experience of working through the system of rules during peacetime, a ruler is supposed to be handling the paperwork needed to rebuild the land that are now his. It wouldn't be proper for an honor-driven king to just ignore the suffering of those that have sworn to his cause just to end a bloodshed."

And Artoria remembered how she had yet to handle the complicated mess that was the disposition of the lands in her new kingdom.

While Camelot was a must to create as a new beacon for hope in the British Isles, she hadn't truly given a look over the costs and the resources needed to achieve such a task. Would it still leave enough for any relief for her subjects?

The blonde really needed to have a serious talk with Merlin about it. Especially if her kingdom was supposed to be eternal.

How could she become the sovereign of something infinite if said rule is driven by fake intentions?

"If I may… say something, Lord Arthur."

Artoria blinked, her attention shifting back to reality. "Uh- I mean, yes?"

"I don't wish to offend you or your honor with my words, Lord Arthur, but I think now it's due to ask," Lancelot started with a careful manner, almost as if he knew what he was going to say might spark some indignation. "But while I can attest that you've been trained properly into knighthood, I wish to know out of personal curiosity if you actually learned of the ways to rule a kingdom."

She blinked, a delicate frown settling on her visage.

"Are you questioning my capacity as a King?"

"I find myself doing so upon your queries. Not as a mean to diminish your value-"

"But to see if my interest over the subject is driven by inexperience and uncertainty," She quickly interjected and… she could feel the need to gnaw her teeth at how accurate that thought was.

It wasn't unreasonable for the fellow knight to be intrigued by this strange turn of events, but Artoria couldn't exactly commend the man for reaching this astute conclusion.

But before she had the chance of continuing with her words, she was interrupted by a new 'opponent'.

"You're confused."

Curt, stern and… indifferent. The blonde shivered a little at the comment, but her eyes were met with a molten inferno offered by Mya's rubies.

"You think that your idea of kingdom was flawless. That your ascension was confirmed and undeniable," The white-haired young woman continued. "That Joseph was a mere pawn to befriend until he would've to submit peacefully. He would've still ruled, but under you. As a good friend and advisor, but also as a trump card to use whenever you required to cover for some openings."

W-What?

Just as the King tried to reject such notions, she felt her body bathed in a slight amount of warmth. It wasn't scorching her, but it wasn't pleasant either.

Not only the lady had managed to peek at her mind, but she was also increasing the temperature of the room by sheer willpower through her magic.

"Myasviel-" Lancelot tried to intervene, but the young woman was unwilling to listen to words.

"She wants to control him," Mya interjected furiously. "To use him like a puppet, and then forget about his existence upon his last breath strikes."

Artoria felt incredibly nervous at this, with her mind screaming for her to find something to use as a weapon before things ended poorly for her.

Yet, as the standoff grew into something fairly unpleasant and close to a brawl, Mya stopped and tensed up, with her eyes going wide open, as a hand reached for her head and started to caress her scalp.

Joseph blinked, a tired and weary look plastered on his face as he glanced at the surprised Einzbern.

"Mya."

The girl turned her stare to properly look at me.

"She wants to-"

"Are you sure she was meaning it within his thoughts?" He asked calmly, his tone a little sleepy but still easy to discern. "Can you tell me if he wasn't just pondering over the possibilities?"

Mya blinked. "Does it matter?" She inquired with a curious tone.

"Yep."

A pout replaced her surprised gawking. "Why?"

"Mya, I think you're well capable of knowing when people can make silly thoughts of silliness. It doesn't mean that what they think they will go through with it," He stated with minor irritation. "Like, can you please tell me what I'm thinking about?"

Surprise returned on her visage, with the Einzbern actually peering over the mind of the weary monarch and… her eyes widened again.

"C-Chocolate? What is it?" She licked her lips, as if feeling the flavor in her mouth.

He snorted. "A sweet drink that can be made with some beans that are not in Europe."

...What?

Artoria was confused, but soon Mya looked slightly annoyed.

"T-That's bitter! What's coffee?"

Joseph smiled a little bit. "Similar to Chocolate, but slightly bitter. It's supposed to be a beverage that helps waking up properly."

…

"Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

The Einzbern blinked in surprise. "You can… manipulate thoughts?"

"Everyone can. It's just that it's either through conscious process or even unconscious," The man pointed out. "Maybe Arthur thought of it as a distant thought. And I would even dare to say that you gave him quite the fright to try anything about it."

The blonde didn't waste any time in nodding at that, confirming that distinct understanding.

She had thought of it much before actually meeting Joseph in person and… that plans had been scrapped away out of uneasiness over doing something like that to him.

It just felt horribly wrong and deceitful. Something against her moral code.

Still, her mind finally allowed her to realize that Joseph was finally awake and… that she had much to say about what had happened.

_**Especially about the fact that Crocea Mors was broken the very moment that Caliburn was.**_

* * *

This is definitively worse than a hangover. While alcohol would leave my brain burning in pain for a couple of hours, I could feel that degree of uneasiness spread all over my body.

I felt sore, tired and, worst of it all, surprised to see Mya actually making a display of her magic.

I could remember Altuos making some comments about the young woman being interested over the topic, but that she had just brushed over the early theoretical bits of true magic.

In layman's terms, she wasn't meant to be mind-checking and heat-manipulating so easily. I blamed her paranoid mood for making her easy to anger… thus I blamed myself for putting her in that kind of emotional distraught.

There wasn't much I could've done to avoid the extent of damage I had received, and yet I was apologetic over the awkward circumstance this outburst had created.

Lancelot looked relieved that I was now awake and that I had defused this hot bomb from dropping so suddenly over this strange state of peace. He looked absolutely unaware of the fact that Mya had been referring Artoria with feminine pronouns, and I really hoped that it was indeed the case and not a misunderstanding from my part.

I turned my attention to Ria, the blonde having lost a couple of mental years with that fright, but holding strong and well-composed as her status demanded from her.

"Joseph, if I may… I wish to apologize for having made that kind of plans. It all happened before we sparred."

That sounded way earlier than I had initially thought and… I wasn't sure I could actually trust her about it.

I glanced at Mya and… she looked less annoyed than before. I felt the air being freer than a moment ago, making me suddenly realize that the young woman had stopped making use of her magic in that instant.

Now that I actually needed it to test Artoria's truthfulness. Dammit.

Knowing that I couldn't exactly expect Mya to become a lie detector with how faulty her understanding of Mind-related magic was, I had to trust my own instincts in how to handle the current predicament.

I sighed. "I will pass over it as I feel that you're being genuine, but don't think I will just show you any kindness if I learn you've plans to attack me, _Arthur_."

Artoria actually flinched at my emphasis over her masculine name. I guess that she wasn't expecting that kind of steel in my response, but she seemed to not be much deterred by it from continuing.

"I wouldn't hope for less from you, Joseph," The blonde said while nodding. "But I wish to discuss about something I would like to solve at once instead of waiting until the visit is over."

I blinked, trying to understand what she was referring to.

"It's about your assistance in repelling Morgan," The girl continued. "Or rather, the way you concluded that fight."

Oh-

_Oh, OH NO!_

I panicked a little bit at that, my entire body tensing up as I had slightly forgotten about that big issue that came from that battle.

Caliburn and Crocea Mors-

"I'm sorry." "I'm sorry."

We both stopped, looking at each other with mutual confusion.

"I was the one that ended up breaking it," I reminded quickly, only for Ria to shake her head.

"I was the one that allowed Morgan to take Caliburn. I should've remembered that she was capable with swords other than magic."

We offered each other a serious look, trying to understand how we were meant to deal with this quandary when we were both feeling quite guilty about it.

And there was no way I was backing away now that I had stacked my reasoning to feel guilty, the same applied with Artoria.

…

"How about a compromise? Nobody is at fault, it was an accident."

"I think I should repay for Crocea Mors reparations-"

"Nonsense!" I rebuked fiercely. "It wasn't your fault."

"Nor was yours!"

…

…

"Are we having a fight over the fact we are trying defend each other?"

Mya hummed. "You're both silly."

I actually deflated at that, and I could see a pout settle on Artoria's face at the comment.

"We should deal with this by sparring again."

At this I found myself sighing. "I think Quintus wouldn't be that much happy if we broke another pair of training swords."

The Einzbern giggled at this exchange, clearly enjoying this.

"Why you two just don't… hug?"

My jaws dropped at that childish suggestion, and even poor Lancelot had to step in about it.

"Lady Mya, I think that wouldn't be proper for two Kings. It would be quite awkward for both to accept such an interaction out of this important discussion."

Just as he said these words, I glanced at Artoria with a serious look and… she offered a sigh before standing up from her chair.

"If we continue with this endless conversation, we will never come to a conclusion about it," The blonde stated tensely. "Which is why… I think this foolish proposal might be the chance to end this frustrating exchange."

The Knight of the Lake froze for a moment at that, glancing at me in an effort to see me deny such a situation but-

I nodded. "I can see your point, Arthur."

She took it as a nudge to go forward with the interaction, with Mya retreating away from my chest as I adjusted more on the bed. Artoria approached, the girl leaning a little bit as we both shared a hug.

"_If I had been more careful, you wouldn't have been hurt this much. It's my fault._"

I huffed at her, tightening the embrace much to her surprise. "_Morgan surprised us both, don't beat yourself over it._"

Her groan was muffled on my shoulder, and the hug lasted a few more seconds before she pushed to let go. I complied and I noticed her irritated look.

"We are settled about it."

Her irritation swelled twice at that, but I didn't budge from my position about it.

I wasn't allowing someone way shorter and less sassier than me to actually push me around.

…

"I suppose you're correct."

Yes!

"But I wish to keep a close exchange of letters from now on," She quickly continued, her tone growing more serious. "With Morgan on the loose, we can't allow ourselves to drop our guard. Not even for a moment."

I nodded at that. "I agree. And I hope you're not allowing Merlin to check on these."

A sigh left her lips.

"After what has happened in the last few days, I will be more attentive about giving him any important paper to look at."

At least I wasn't going to face other issues with that annoying bastards through official documentations.

After this much was done, Artoria decided to leave the ward after a quick 'farewell', ending this discussion in the most friendly manner possible.

But as she walked out of our sights, I turned to Lancelot with a genuinely worried look.

"What is the current status of Crocea Mors?"

The plum-haired man offered me an uneasy look, and I gritted my teeth in annoyance.

I had seen Caliburn crack and collapse, but I couldn't exactly remember what happened to my own sword.

The weapon had cracked, I could remember that, but after that everything turned blank and confused.

"The blade… survived," Lancelot finally answered with a tight voice. "There are numerous cracks on its surface and… Altuos confirmed that the enchantments have mostly faded away in that last battle."

Sighing, I tried to keep calm over the fact Julius Caesar's sword had been lost in that simple skirmish. It wasn't even one that killed Morgan, but one that just pushed her back to her lair.

The sacrifice wasn't worth the rewards considering that the woman was surely going to strike once more by the time her wounds were healed.

"It can be repaired."

The knight tried to sound positive about it and I knew well enough that it wasn't that easy.

"Not quickly enough," I interjected quickly. "Nor it would've the same efficiency as before. Only its creators can restore the full essence of the sword."

"Surely you could create a new sword out of it," Lancelot pressed up once more. "Many knights ended up with their sword shattered during a battle, and they were able to find a resolve by forging a newer and stronger blade."

"The issue isn't the metal," I rebuked with a hum. "What made Crocea Mors capable of standing out from the usual blades was the enchantments applied from the Romans."

That seemed to finally dissuade the man from keeping up with that argument. There wasn't much to do about it if Altuos had said the sword was in such a terrible state.

Maybe I was being overly-dramatic about it, but that was one of the few blades I exactly knew where to find and I had the means to recover it. Now I was left with other legends that I wasn't even sure I could end up finding on my own.

I wasn't even going to try my hand in retrieving Excalibur, well-aware that Merlin wasn't going to allow me to pick up something possibly stronger than Caliburn.

Eventually I ended up being allowed out of that bed after a full day of rest and checkups. Quintus was incredibly serious with his interest in making sure I was fine as the people of Venta Belgarum wouldn't have been happy with their hero being left injured before leaving.

_**The gloom prospect of having lost Crocea Mors was mostly balanced out when Altuos stated that Artoria, despite her 'reluctant acceptance' to not try and repay for what had happened during that fight, decided to leave to us what remained of Caliburn.**_

_**Maybe, just maybe, there was something that could've been done with this.**_

* * *

**AN**

**Upgrade for Crocea Mors. Expect a situation akin to a FGO Rank up, one where the MC shall find the means to forge a new sword… while also getting a new mentor.**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Wolfking0811****: And 'Joey' (completely not Wheeler) might end up getting more than he can chew.**

**Orion399****: She didn't do it on purpose. She thought that the blade could've absorbed much more planned than it was capable of and she ended up overcharging it instead of boosting it.**

**Sultan Asil Arslan****: It will take a while before this kind of blades end up in the British Isles (but maybe Gae Bolg will make an appearance quite soon).**

**RadioPoisoning****: It's actually there, just well-camouflaged. Quick hint 'Good Grief'.**


	14. From Shadows (1)

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**F/SN, F/Z, F/KPI and other products related to the Fate Series are all owned by TYPE-MOON, Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 13****: From Shadows (1)**

**Beta-Read: Ant0nius**

* * *

Two months passed relatively uneventful. The news of what happened in Venta Belgarium seems to have spread across the entire fief in less than two days after the entourage returned back home to Londinium.

The people welcomed us back with a large celebration that dragged late into the night, only to end at the early hours of the morning, as people still needed to rest. And then work.

It wasn't like we were utterly safe from any external attacks or even economically insured to manage a full day of rest for everyone considering the era and the circumstances of our national situation.

Instead of enjoying peace to the fullest, I did the best I could to keep the 'blade' of Londinium sharp enough to retaliate against any unwarranted assaults. .

The Picts had managed to destroy the last Germanic Tribes in the east, ending the threat once for all. That was nice, as it meant that we wouldn't be attacked by a massive raid anytime soon.

The issue?

Now we had a new neighbor that was ruled by a certain Witch I really didn't want anything to do about.

Morgan hadn't shown her face after that swift strike to try and bring an end to both her sister and I. Maybe she was still recovering from wounds, or magical exhaustion since the amount of energy used in that assault was nothing negligible even for someone of her caliber.

I didn't care too much about this since I was making as many contingencies as possible to dodge any 'second rounds' after what happened out of Londinium.

The Magus Guild was assigned in creating special 'fields' that were supposed to at least detect and drain the usage of magic whenever a specific pattern was detected within the city.

The Boundary Fields were part of the oldest section of magecraft ever recorded. There wasn't a genuine barrier that could keep anything too powerful out of the city, but those served more as an advantage against any invader.

With this task given, the two months also saw a shift of focus onto two topics I had stupidly ignored for a long time now.

Medicine and Metallurgy.

Both were subjects that were meant to be improved if I wanted to keep up the current advantage I had over my enemies.

The former was to avoid any major sickness to strike suddenly at the fief's population. I made sure to create a 'royal-funded' commission of 'healers and experts' that were to be employed as public doctors.

Despite Felicianus' early opposition to the establishment of regular autopsies to study the causes of people's deaths, the Bishop had to bit back any comments as I brought up how this wasn't the first time a nation went through this kind of studies.

The Egyptians were a known example of treating corpses, but instead of using that topic to merely 'pay respect to Gods' or 'make the dead ready for the afterlife', we were going to use this practice 'to understand the extent of illnesses more thoroughly.

Special equipment was issued by my decree, with numerous specialists ordered to wear the appropriate 'uniform' before treating patients or autopsies.

I also saw it fit to institute basic rules for the doctors to follow. Starting from the need to 'sterilize' their hands and medical tools before actually starting any assignment, of writing down any new symptoms or illnesses they could spot on their patients.

Pasteurization wasn't properly introduced since there weren't the proper tools to implement the precise method, but the need of 'heating up' liquids like milk and wine slowly became a norm before selling these products.

I was in no conditions to genuinely create a textbook myself for the new 'medical discoveries'. I knew the basis of medicine after going through an extensive First Aid course, but I was terribly lacking in employing the more advances laws of the subject.

The next focus was something correlated to the need of refining the weaponry production. The techniques that were being used by the local blacksmiths were still close to what the Late Romans were capable of, and while that was still good compared to the chaotic ignorance curtailing progress in continental Europe, I still needed to see some advancements done in this department too.

Conventions were issued, with two meetings having already taken place to discuss of the various known techniques of metallurgy. Reluctance ensued early on considering the 'rivalry' between the various workers of the same sector, but the incentive of actually promoting a renewed Blacksmith guild that could guarantee everyone's part in society seemed to dissuade any protesters.

With newer sources of iron being found, I decided against pushing for an aggressive production of blades for my army to use. It was mostly because the available army had plenty of equipment to use, and that any surplus would just be unproductive with the lack of major recruitment campaigns.

I was holding back from bolstering the army's ranks too quickly to avoid any 'fright' from our newer adversary.

King Loth was… reluctant to attack. The border between our 'fiefs' was relatively stable, but I suspected that it was mostly because he was trying to integrate the new lands.

Not everyone was happy with the new set of rules even though those were certainly better than the ones used by the barbarians. Revolts were common news coming from 'beyond the curtain' and waves of immigrants from the north weren't that much of a novelty nowadays.

Everyone was accepted, but none were immediately given major roles within society. Nobles fled too, but I was reluctant to allow any of those too close to the local aristocracy and the castle.

I've read plenty of 'rogue' dukes and counts trying to make the best of their suicidal situations, either killing their target or even going as far as sabotaging their 'savior' so that their real lord could strike at their true enemies.

And with the migration from the north, housing became once again a problem.

Creating new houses turned into an important priority as to avoid issues of over-population within the city.

New sections of the city were granted for constructions of buildings, with the plans correlated to the expansion of the walls changed to better fit these new changes.

The new influx of coin coming from the cities in the south, now endeared with what had happened in Venta Belgarum, introduced new proposals to the growing two-years plan I had established.

I wasn't planning to pull a flex worth of the trouble caused by the infamous Soviet Five-Years Plans, but I was still hoping to create a stable 'modern nation' out of what territories I've carved from recent events.

There was no reason to doubt that a political and social evolution to the degree I expected would happen just before the conclusion of that extensive plan, but I was already having trouble to believe that all economic objectives were going to be completed.

It didn't help that I had to also satisfy both merchants and the Church by establishing some trade posts by the nearby town-ports and a proper 'place of religion' for Christianity here in Londinium.

A Cathedral was going to be quite an investment for sure to cement my control over the local Church. From the way Felicianus reacted to the news, almost ready to hum his way out with the brightest of smile, I sure knew that this was going to be a successful PR campaign.

With the economy still booming from the current developments and Londinium growing steadily into a large hub of culture and civilization, most of my real worries were directed to a concern more personal to my part.

Altuos had confirmed once more as he took the broken pieces of Caliburn and the cracked Crocea Mors that both weapons were now devoid of their previous runic powers.

Marcus was obviously pissed at this development, but his anger was mostly directed at the 'witch that should have been killed at birth'. It sounded harsh, but considering how attached the man was to war and Rome, it was obvious that losing Caesar's sword was going to bring the worst out of him.

At least this fury eclipsed the annoyance he showed when he first heard of the 'fun brawl' that happened at Venta Belgarum…

Still, returning to the swords, the runes were still there to be noticed, partly at least. But there was no way to restore a stable use of their respective purposes through known magecraft.

Studying Caliburn's pieces, the elder also pointed out that the sword was actually deceiving considering that the runes were actually faulty on some bits.

It was meant to indeed unleash a large blast of magical power that was created by the user's own reserves, but the runes meant to stabilize and _genuinely make the thing not explode on the user's hands _were far too weak and inferior to keep up with the others.

Another trick of Merlin? Or maybe the Wizard hadn't planned for Artoria to make use of Caliburn's secondary purpose?

I restrained myself from pointing this out in the last three letters exchanged with Ria, the girl having her own troubles as she returned back to her domains.

Another revolt happened, and surprisingly enough a large part of her 'trusted' lords had joined the rebellious side. While the situation had appeared grim early on, things changed when Ria herself took charge of the situation and personally spearheaded a fight towards the ringleader of this rebellion.

A man with vast wealth and interest in fighting, Galehaut was easily won over by the staunch bravery and masterful fighting employed by the lone knight that he would soon discover being the King he thought too detached from the people to follow.

I quickly warned the girl about any strange attitude from the man, mentioning that I had 'heard' of some suspicious tales about him.

While it was merely alluded in Lancelot's legend that Galehaut would quickly fawn after the one that stole his attention and drawn him to this particular stage of the world, my panic was settled when the young woman confirmed that she was now 'getting married'.

At first I was confused, but then I learned that a month after our encounter, King Arthur ended up marrying the daughter of King Leodegrance of Cornouaille, Brittany.

I could tell from many notes left around by the blonde that it was mostly one of convenience. Guinevere was someone that had caught her attention as someone that didn't seem high-maintenance compared to other young maiden that could be pursued as wives, and her father's pedigree made it possible that her claim as a King was further cemented into stone.

I congratulated her for the 'celebrations', but I had to politely decline an invitation to the event by citing the fact that Morgan's puppet kingdom was bordering with my own fief.

She seemed saddened, a little bit annoyed, but understanding that if I vacated the throne for too long the chances of her sister picking up this chance to take over Londinium were going to be pretty high.

But while that reason was a good one to skip the feast, I was more worried about a 'smaller' issue correlated to it.

I knew the legend of King Arthur, I knew what happened with Lancelot- and I really didn't want to have the entire island embroiled in a big war because of some Iliad-based BS.

There were other elements that drove the loyal knight to go through that kind of issues, but I also knew that things could also turn differently… and still ends in the worst case scenario.

Against trying to jinx the current state of tranquility I've managed to achieve through careful diplomacy with the independent petty kingdoms, I tried to finally handle the last of my real worries.

While Altuos was adamant that his guild couldn't do much about the swords, his initiative to research for a particular way to solve this problem left many to hope for his success.

It was mostly Marcus, but I wasn't certainly grimacing over the opportunity of having my sword back.

Two months went by, with numerous books being employed and old artifacts unraveled as to discover a mean to resolve this problem and… then a possible lead was found.

It happened fairly suddenly, and I was still drowning in my paperwork to notice the giddy-looking Altuos peeking over by the doorstep of my office.

Lancelot had been sitting on the chair in front of the desk and me, trying to get a little bit of rest. Noticing the elder at the door, he swiftly stood up and his armor loudly drew my attention away from the documents.

"Altuos? Is everything-"

"Your Highness, we've found a solution!"

The loud outburst caught me off-guard, but still I soon found myself following the old man around the castle, my curiosity increasing the more he continued to talk.

_**A gate? And where does it take?**_

* * *

The dark sand and dirt beneath my boots felt incredibly cold. Dead.

I don't know what I was expecting when Altuos gave me a proper explanation of what kind of place I was currently visiting.

The red moon grandly illuminating my path was incredibly chilling to look at, and the crooked trees on the side of this tiny road didn't do much to assuage my current state of uneasiness.

Despite my dread, I continued to keep a hand over the hilt of the sword Marcus gave me in case I needed it… against the overlord of this place.

A place of silence, a place owned just by the death. Shadows festered in this land devoid of light.

The Gate recovered by Altuos was one that had been 'contained' within one of the unused rooms of the castle. Letters full of cautions from Latin Magi displayed how dangerous of a tool this was, one that wasn't meant to generally bring boons to those that used it.

A treasure recovered from one of the early Roman assaults to the Picts, one that had been kept a secret from Rome itself for how much dangerous of a portal it was to anyone that craved for the power maliciously kept behind its innocuous appearance.

And the elder knew exactly what lingered behind it.

The Land of Shadows was a realm long considered lost to Britain. It was once relevant when some of the more prominent heroes of the Ulster's Cycle ended up training under the strict guidance of the owner of such a terrible fief.

A witch, a warrior, a powerful woman- Scathach was one of the few figures in old legends that made her tall figure compared to many others.

Once the ruler of Dun Scaith, a castle that currently was under the control of King Loth, the former teacher of Cu Chulainn and his son Connla was known for her prowess in battle, and her ruthless war-handling before she tied herself to this realm.

Curiosity? Boredom? What drove someone so important into detaching from mortals' affairs?

The stories were various and most of those were unrelated to each other. The ones Altuos brought weren't of the pleasant kind, especially since I was now supposed to meet up with this supposed 'spirit'.

Those that live within the shadows and embrace those… they forsake their own humanity. They abandon their mortality and they challenge their limits into either dying or becoming something… more.

I wasn't enticed by the challenge, nor did I want to linger in this unpleasant realm for too long. Heck, I wasn't even expecting for things to take this weird turn and… even now, as I thought back about my decision to explore on my own and leave Lancelot and Marcus behind, I couldn't help but facepalm at how moronic I was being.

The broken parts of both Caliburn and Crocea Mors were safely stored on the backpack I was currently keeping on my back, and while the offer was simple to complete considering her legendary knowledge over runes, I was unsure if Schathach would accept this request without asking for anything too grand in return.

I was tense, but still determined enough to go through that hellish experience. The wind was chilling, and for a brief moment I felt a pair of hands over my shoulders, grasping from behind.

It reminded me too much of the few times I ended up visiting graveyards. Either to remember a passed relative, or to help around some friends' own situations with this kind of problems.

Allowing a shiver or two to break my tense composure, I found myself stopping as my eyes caught a strange 'obstacle' to my stare up to the moon. One that wasn't there when I first started to delve in that dead forest.

A lone figure, her purple hair were left free and waving at the wind. A tiny dark mask covering her lips and cheeks while her red eyes were staring down in the most chilling way possible. A large red spear was firmly grasped on her right hand.

I merely blinked once, only to find that the figure was gone.

_Goddammit, it's going down like one of those scary horror movies!_

"What is the purpose that led you to my domains, young child?"

My eyes widened in shock as I felt her voice, regal and somewhat tired, coming from right behind me.

I slowly turned around, only to be regarded with the same figure. Now that she was closer, I could see that the woman was wearing a full-body outfit with metal pads over her shoulders.

It took me a moment to realize that she was giving me an annoyed look as… I had been ogling at her gorgeous frame for too long.

"A-Apologies." I gave a slight bow. "Forgive me for being stunned by your beauty, Queen Scathach-"

"I'm no longer a ruler of mortal fiefs, so please refrain from doing such mistakes," She chided quietly, yet her features softened just a little bit at the quick apology. "But I suppose your visit here dictates that you behave prim and properly. But do speak, who decided to visit my realm and ask for my guidance?"

"To be fair it's… a lesser request than that, Lady Scathach," I replied nervously. "It has to do with the restorations of shattered runes."

She blinked, her red eyes widening… but not in surprise. Merely in a flash of curiosity and perplexity.

"And your liege deems me so unimportant that he request this lesser offer?" The woman inquired slightly offended. "Perhaps he's an oaf? Or maybe daft?"

I blinked at that, just now noticing that she hadn't realized just yet that I was the kind she was throwing insults at.

And I really was feeling quite sassy. Enough to go through the limit enforced by my own logic.

"I reckon he's quite dumb at times, but I can share his sentiment that this job isn't as easy as you're making it seem."

"Speak for yourself, child- and to be audacious enough to speak ill of your king?" Scathath looked aggravated and… confused. "I suppose he's indeed foolish to allow his own subjects to speak so brazenly of his flaws. But do reveal the item that urged your presence within my realm."

I frowned. "I thought you weren't willing for the-"

"I still am against it, but I now wish to see what kind of silly request your fool of a king desired to impose upon myself," She interrupted, looking particularly bored. "So please, unveil the object."

I carefully reached for my backpack and pulled out the cloth holding both Caliburn's remains and the cracked Crocea Mors.

Unveiling both blades, I allowed the woman to come closer and study the state of both blades.

Scathach blinked, her red eyes scanning over what could only be described a saddening scene for sure, but from the way she was giving attention at the tools, I could tell she was changing idea of the matter the more she looked at the devastated swords.

"Truly a tragic sight to be bestowed," She lamented neutrally. "While I don't linger too much over new blades, I do find it dreadful when proper runic works are ruined in such a manner. I suppose it was through combat."

I nodded. "They clashed against each other while using their full might."

"Intriguing, truly," The purple-haired woman admitted as her left hand landed on Crocea Mors' surface before she gave it a proper touch. "One could say it was fated to happen."

Not truly. I mean… was it? I certainly couldn't remember myself becoming King of Britain in the books I've studied from.

"Yet it's mostly odd how a King, albeit a stupid and daft one, could leave these precious swords under the care of one of his subjects," She mused with a hint of surprise and suspect. "And I guess he's not much of a fool now that I think about it. Maybe he's more of a… 'jester'."

With that 'correction', her stare lifted up to my eyes and I cracked a tiny nervous smile.

"I prefer the term 'comedian'," I replied weakly. "Ya know, making a few jokes on the side and get some amused looks from time to time."

She blinked. "I'm not entertained."

I frowned. "I think you're lying to me."

Her eyes narrowed at the accusation.

"What?"

"Did you know that your mask isn't hiding when you twitch a smile?" I pointed out, drawing a wide-eyed expression as her left hand unconsciously reached for her covered lips.

I didn't snort, but I really wanted to now that I saw that reaction.

Seriously, she was supposed to be a couple of centuries old now and yet she looked so gorgeous and… cute.

After a few quiet seconds went by like this, Scathach seemed to realize that I was looking at her with an amused smile and… she huffed, tensing up and bringing her hand away from her mask.

"Ruffian. You've yet to introduce yourself and you deem this worth of entertainment?"

"Shouldn't I?" I rebuked fiercely, narrowing my eyes back at her. "But yes, I suppose I can concede on the fact I didn't introduce myself."

I sighed, bowing my head forward once again.

"I'm King Joseph of Britannia, the first of his name, ruler of Londinium, bane of the Germanic Tribe, comedian on the side, and currently seeking some fixing for my blades."

She stared at me with a harsher look, as if finding my introduction fairly outrageous. But the more she stared, the more I noticed her entire body twitching and trying to bend a little bit. Her lips were trying to hold back a smile and then-

"Y-You- You are a King? A little mortal with- _Hahahahahahaha!_"

Closing my eyes, I tried to ignore the laughing. It was melodious but at the same time was hurting my 'feels' a lot. Also, I could tell that my masculinity was begging for me to draw blood out of that slight.

It was incredibly disrespectful from her part, but I wasn't anywhere annoyed by it as I remembered a couple of things about her legend.

"At least I still have a legitimate fief to rule."

My words brought in an instantaneous reaction out of the Scathach.

The former queen paused mid-laugh, with her eyes widening in surprise at that dissing.

"You- What?"

"Sure, it's cool to have a home called the 'Land of Shadows'. Really cool… _except nobody can tell how cool it is._"

The powerful woman huffed. "If you're trying to insult me, then you're failing miserably-"

"I mean, it's kind of ironic that Dun Scaith is owned by a witch that hates her sister," I added before she could end that sentence. "Makes one wonder how true the saying 'history repeats itself' is in these dreadful times."

…

"You seem to know a lot about me, and yet I'm sure some of the legends had faded over time."

"I know stuff," I replied at her accusations. "I read books, I study mythology, and I pat my own back when said knowledge is being aptly used."

"And what kind of King would prefer to read instead of fighting, to learn about life through experience?"

"To be fair I study and I train by sword in a balanced manner, but I guess the main reason is making sure that I keep up with my people's expectations," I responded proudly. "To make sure my domain is never subjected to tyranny and despair. That my subjects find happiness within the lives I improve for them."

"You seek refinement through knowledge and fight?" Scathach inquired with a hint of intrigue. "Surely you have other reasons to go through these deeds and actions. Glory? A greater purpose?"

I half-shrugged, keeping a look over the still exposed swords. "I've already answered that question as genuinely as I could."

"And what if I call you a liar? What if I told you I don't believe your words?"

"Then I suppose my actions will speak truer than the greatest of words," I rebuked with a nod. "As actions speak louder than words."

…

"Despite your age, you sure are idealistic with your rulership."

I sighed. "Just trying to make the best out of my reign."

The former queen nodded, her glance lowering back at the blades as she seemed to be thinking of something.

"What are their names?"

My jaws parted for a moment in surprise… but I nodded and replied.

"The cracked sword is 'Crocea Mors', while the pieces were once the sword named 'Caliburn'."

"Their names are different from each other and… from anything I've heard before," Scathach admitted, some interest piqued at that discovery. "I suppose they were made by two different rune-makers."

"Yes."

…

Surely she hadn't changed idea like this. Up until now she had sounded so irked by my presence, almost annoyed when I started to insult her back… so why would she be this open for this request?

"I think… I will work on these," The woman muttered with a nod. "But this job shan't be one devoid of a price."

I nodded slowly, tanking in the surprise of this offer being accepted.

"And the price is?"

She blinked, glancing at the moon for a moment.

"Tomorrow morning, present yourself once more here in my realm," Scathach stated. "I suppose the gate you used to reach my domain is connected to your castle. So I don't think you will have any problem to arrive punctually as asked."

I nodded again. "But… why?"

She hummed, purposely looking away from me.

"It will be explained when the time is due," The former queen replied calmly. "Now leave me with the swords. I shall study those at once so that you may acquire a stronger tool out of those."

Frowning at her insistence to not tell me the truth, I decided to nod in defeat and concede the swords to her.

Just as I started to walk around her and back to where I came from, I felt her voice reach my ears one last time before I left her surroundings.

"_**And remember. Address me as 'Teacher' from now on."**_

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**AN**

**Some explanations is due (both for the chapter and why it took so long to update).**

**I've been busy finishing 'The Golden Month' and since it was the last five chapters I wrote those back-to-back (one chapter per day for five days). That story is now complete and I will work on its sequel once I got some free time.**

**And now… to the current chapter!**

**1) The Gate… how? While many are certainly finding this detail a strange McGuffin, the thing is… that it isn't. While Scathach is the only known user capable of summoning at her own will The Gate of Skye, the one used by the MC isn't the Gate of Skye. The NP is a unique way that only those that have permission from the ruler of the Land of Shadows can use without suffering insta-death. The Gate 'recovered' from the Romans was another portal that had been dormant for decades in Scotland. **

**2) Why Scathach changed attitude with the MC? When I thought about writing about Scathach, I put myself in a conundrum as I didn't know how to properly represent her without making them fight. It was while I was researching more about her personality that I found out a few details that she genuinely favored… and that the MC had as prime traits from the very beginning. King Jojo is the king that favors his subjects, but not without completely submitting to those. What many forget about Scathach is that she too was a Queen, one that dreamed of genuinely improve her subjects' lives by refining her capacities as a leader and her prowess as a warrior in case of war. The fact that she decided to train him was more of a mix of this connection and… the fact she likes brave man.**

**Long AN, I know but… I know readers want to an explanation for anything odd or worrying.**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Lamentor****: While your comment is legitimate as it presents Saber in a moment when her ideals were put at a state of absolute doubt and she managed to defeat a seemingly impossible enemy, I think you're forgetting two elements that makes this very excerpt a weak argument for what you're trying to say. Artoria was already owning Excalibur and Gawain, albeit older than Agravain, would only join the Round Table much later than him. The more exhaustive story about him is the one offered by De Ortu Waluuanii Nepotis Arturi (The Rise of Gawain, Nephew of Arthur) in which Ser Gawain is a knight that spent most of his teenage years out of Britain and… doing lots of big deeds on his own. The excerpt would be correct if you value the fact that Camelot already exists when Vortigern strikes and that Arthur has already married Guinevere by a long time. I don't think this comment was influence by your 'fanboyism' but I also wish to bring up the fact that all the tales we know about Nasuverse Arthurian Tales are detached from one another by several years.**


	15. From Shadows (2)

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**F/SN, F/Z, F/KPI and other products related to the Fate Series are all owned by TYPE-MOON, Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 14****: From Shadows (2)**

* * *

I could feel my breath starting to itch within my lungs as I tried to keep up with the surreal pace I was being put through.

To be fair, I should've expected for someone as stern-sounding like Scathach to be a strict teacher with those that managed to get hold of her attention.

The beautiful woman was deadly just as I had expected, but it wasn't her that I was having issues with.

While my first visit to the Land of Shadows had been pretty much peaceful and successful, the same wasn't for those that followed.

Not that I risked any of the good rep I got from the first encounter with the violet-haired woman, but I was now seeing why Cu Chulainn was one of those 'lucky guys' that ended up living through the hellish training of hers.

These lands weren't as abandoned as I had initially thought. The monstrous shriek of the Demonic Boar was deafened by the battle roars of three more.

Three weeks had flew away after the first visit, and I was starting to understand many things about my new 'teacher'. As respectful and polite she might sound early on, she wasn't exactly the one that entered the fray if her apprentices were getting owned by some 'low grade monsters'.

The first week was just plain humiliation. With the fact I was forced to retreat more than once out of fear of getting cornered by the numerous populations of abnormally big boars that festered the forest, I was also being 'entertained' by the dry comments delivered by the ever-so irritating teacher of mine.

The idea of just retrieving the swords' pieces, closing the gate once I was safely back home, and try elsewhere was one that tempted me more than once.

The deterrent from giving up? I knew that there was no other option to follow after this one.

Scathach was pretty much the only individual I could 'easily' access to and request for her to accomplish such a complex task.

And as much as I was hating this place, I ended up noticing that I was indeed improving the more time I spent fighting endless rounds of monsters.

This was proven when Marcus deemed it amusing to test my fighting capacity after training for a couple of days and… he was stomped when I managed to push him around without much of an issue.

The pace was slow but steady, and the difficulty of each day seemed to follow this very pattern too.

I struggled at first, but then I started to see the light through this dark tunnel.

My bloody sword took one last swing at the final creature in front of me, bisecting it vertically and killing it instantly.

No squeal of pain, nor any dying shriek. The resulting silence was something of a blessing as I took a moment to scan around for any sneaky assault. The boars were big fans of rushing from behind their enemies while those were distracted, so I quickly looked around for any of that.

A sigh left my lips as soon as I concluded that I had indeed cleared the area.

"It will suffice for now," Scathach commented from one of the trees' branches she had been standing by. "I guess your determination isn't flaunted wrongly by your fierce spiels."

"If I want to accomplish something, then I will," I remarked giddily, then pausing for a moment to see her clean her lips with a handkerchief and I was reminded of something I did earlier this morning. "I hope the cake was good."

The woman nodded, sporting a happier look for a brief moment. "You should send my good praise to the one behind such a delicious desert. Truly a masterful work."

It was kind of amusing how I was receiving less compliments over my current achievements in monster-slaying compared to Mya's own endeavor by the kitchen.

To be fair, I was partly to 'blame' over the fact I had shown her how to do a simple apple cake through the use of precise magecraft and ingredient using.

Unsurprisingly enough, the first efforts to get a proper cake out ended up in minor failures for the two of us. The issue was that fire runes weren't easy to regulate even if wind and water ones were employed as well.

Still, despite the first setbacks, progress at the kitchen was smooth and quick as I was quickly overshadowed by Mya's unexpectedly amazing talent as a chef.

Even the servants that were assigned to the area were impressed with the delicious treats prepared by the white-haired girl. Sure, I was the one that offered her the recipes with some variations of the ingredients to fit with the current situation, but she seemed to take cooking like a fish in water.

This development ended up sparking in me a degree of interest in trying to mollify Scathach's strictness of a little bit.

The baked goods that were employed as bribes resulted in sound successes in keeping the woman from chiding too harshly during my training sessions.

Who would've thought that the tough lady had a prominent sweet tooth?

But while this did well for me in soothing the sternness of the former Queen, I was also reminded more than once that this wasn't true training each time I left to return back to the castle.

Scathach did recognize me as her student, but differently from previous cases, I wasn't exactly legitimized by a great feat.

When the Land of Shadows was still connected to the real world and was bordered by Dun Scaith, the fortress could only be accessed through a thin tightrope that spanned over a gorge filled with malicious ghosts and boiling water. Many died in the Land of Shadows, while the rest failed to get through this final but difficult obstacle.

Only a couple managed to do the miraculous deed and ended up becoming true apprentices to Scathach.

I had expected for this to never actually happen to me since Dun Scaith was no longer under the woman's possession and the Land of Shadows didn't have any place that could be used to replicate such a complicated task.

Which is why I was expecting for something equally difficult and deadly to replace this very challenge.

Three weeks went by without a single hint was given about what she was planning to do to replace the known task, and I was kind of expecting this to never come considering how restrained she was with her conversations.

Then, as I managed to finally to clear out the large group of boars, I was finally taken for a 'special lesson' that was meant to cement my worth as her disciple.

At first I was surprised, but I quickly accepted the growing eagerness to replace my shock into something a little more positive.

It was only as she led me to a large clearing away from any of the monsters that lingered within the forest and then stopped in front of me to drew her lance that I knew that something was very,_ very__** wrong.**_

"Many of my students died because of arrogance. They believed that nothing could stop them, that the battlefield could never see them losing," Scathach said with an ominous tone. "Which is why I think it's only fitting that I train my students to become less accepting of a glorious and shining victory, and more into the possibility of finding peace within the battle itself. To not allow the lust for fighting to dominate their minds and souls."

I was tempted to point out that she was the one that scolded me for being quick to back away from deadly confrontations. But then again, I wasn't planning to get killed because I couldn't keep my mouth shut in front of someone that could easily erase my existence.

"For this occasion, I will tell you just this once that I will not be your teacher," She stated coldly. "I shall be your enemy. Your truest nightmare embodied in the form of a single tangible opponent that doesn't care about rules and restrictions."

Tensing up at this proclamation, I couldn't help but unsheathe my sword once more. She sounded so serious and… so threatening.

A smile adorned her exposed face as she regarded my reaction with a degree of interest.

"I'm glad to see that you recognize the truth," The woman commended. "But now I will come at you as if you're my greatest enemy."

I took my usual stance, expecting her to be somewhat restrained with her approach.

Well, I soon discovered that she wasn't lying over the fact she wanted to attack me as vehemently as possible.

A blur, I saw a sharp red object approaching and I moved to block it-

Pain erupted as Gae Bolg stabbed my shoulder, pushing beyond the flesh and through me.

My eyes widened at the sudden sensation, but my mind didn't get too distracted with the suddenness of her brutality.

I tilted my sword, swinging to the side and expecting her to either dodge or move away and allowing me to move out and limit her fighting prowess by leaving the weapon stuck on me.

_So I was quite horrified when my attack successfully separated her arm off her body._

The limb limped down as Scathach backed away to recover from the sudden strike, a mirthful look plastered on her face despite the damage I inflicted to her.

Many would've found that injury enough to surrender, and yet she was shrugging it off as if it was nothing to worry about.

I was genuinely shocked when she merely shrugged.

"What's with the confused look, disciple of mine? Didn't I tell you that I can't die?"

Frowning at that, I glanced once more at the arm still attached to the spear… still stuck inside my shoulder.

"Teach, I'm not going to lie. But that doesn't seem much of a 'flesh wound' to me-_ahhhhhhhhh!_"

I almost tripped backward when I saw her blur again, successfully taking hold of her spear and pulling upward… _until a good part of my shoulder was forcefully removed from my arm._

I shrieked for some time, my wide eyes regarding the extensive damage in a mix of panic and fright.

Scathach merely chuckled as she calmly fixed her arm through her runes.

"Are you… afraid?"

The slow query was returned with a snarl from me as I tried and failed to stand up after that pain-induced fall. The excruciating and searing sensation disabling my left size kept me from properly move away from danger and my hold over my simple sword was already wobbly because of the horrible escalation I was being subjected to.

"You should just surrender, and allow the pain to lull you out of this misery."

AS IF!

I frantically stood up, a bloody grin shot at my enemy with the most prideful of display.

"T-Tis but a s-scratch!"

She blinked. "Truly?"

This time I managed to move just in time to dodge another attack from her weapon, almost tripping again in the process but managing to keep myself up and focused on my current problem.

I don't know what she was planning to do by maiming me this maliciously, but I was really regretting having not brought my rifle with me for this occasion.

"Your footwork is steady despite the damage I've given you. If I was still your teacher, you would receive a big praise out of me."

I chucked. "And yet you turned into a bitch and made my life quite complicated."

"**Flattery **will take you nowhere."

And thus I found myself barraged by a senseless amount of attacks. Gashes and wounds opened all over my arms and legs. Some of the new injuries reached my exposed half-shoulder, sending extreme chills of pain across my entire body and making my stance falter more than once.

I was coughing blood like a damn fountain, but I kept on defending myself the best I could, leaving her no mean to end me at once.

It was an unfair situation that saw me shoved left and right without any mercy or hesitation. Heck, she was smiling through the entire carnage.

My stubbornness kept me from collapsing under the hits of fatigue, pain, and fear.

Everything was hitting me all at once, and nothing under my current arsenal was enough to satisfy the unfair amount of damage I was sustaining.

And if until now my luck had been bad, things got worse when one of Scathach's strikes finally broke the piece of iron I brought with me. My sword wasn't anything special and thus it broke under the duress exerted by the ferocious warrior-witch.

I fell on my butt, failing to get up and resume the fight as she slammed her knee on my chin. I fell on my back and stared up as she pressed her reinforced shoe onto my chest, causing me to groan.

"Did you already lose? Is that who my apprentice is? A coward?"

"You know, you really need to get your shit straight. Do I need to surrender or… or-!"

My throat tightened as I felt blood cascade over me. I blinked in shock as I tried to connect the sudden splash of red to the origin of the liquid and I felt my heart and mind freezing at the same time before the most chilling of sight.

It was a head. It was a_ familiar_ head.

You were so busy trying to get your own belongings restored that you didn't consider that I could've easily vaulted over the gate, killed all those you cared about, and set fire to your little kingdom," Scathach pointed out eagerly, her stare turning at the white-haired head in her hold. "This one… she was quite silly. She thought you were going to rescue her. She called your name even thought I stabbed her numerous time. She was so loud that I had to put an end to the shrill song and… you know."

_M-Mya?_

Her grin was feral, but it didn't matter to me as I felt extreme anger take over my entire self. Gone was the pain, gone was the fire.

In its stead, I was incensed to a degree I never felt before.

Pissed? Yes. Furious? A few times.

But outright murderous? This was a novelty, but a legitimate one as I pushed myself off the ground and reached for the woman.

The former queen kept on smiling as she speared her weapon through my damaged shoulder, expecting me to falter at the renewed damage-

_Yet she gasped as I stabbed the broken blade up to her chin. Blood erupted from the injury, and she gasped for air that wasn't going to arrive to her as my hands were onto her neck._

I started to choke her, my mind conquered by the primal need to see her die by asphyxiation.

Silence ruled this cruel scenery, and my eyes refused to leave the infuriating grin on her face.

But the more I waited for this to come to an end… the more I realized that something was wrong with everything around me.

Blinking, I realized that Mya's decapitated head was no longer around. My shoulder… it didn't feel in pain, nor it was sporting the same injury as before.

My anger left me slowly, and with its retreat came a grand sense of drain and tiredness.

My sword was now intact, the entire place looked more like a normal forest than the one within the Land of Shadows and…

An unscathed Scathach sighed calmly despite the unpleasant chokehold I still had her into.

"It would seem I was right," She muttered quietly. "You truly mean everything you say, you naive fool."

My lips parted to try and formulate a question, but I couldn't help but feel breathless at the shocking reversal.

My brain was burning, hurting from the absurd developments I was being subjected to and while I wanted to really inquire about what was happening, the answer came in the form of a bright light exploding from Scathach herself.

_**W-What is going-**_

* * *

I woke up with a panicked gasp, my chest hurting and my heart drumming painfully as I tried to stand up from my resting place… only for a pair of hands to press me back on the surprisingly comfy pillow my head had been left into.

"You're finally awake."

My wide eyes turned to the origin of the unpleasantly familiar voice. Scathach was staring from above and… she was rather close.

Blinking, I realized that my head was currently settled on her lap and that she looked particularly calm about the current disposition.

Then I started to grasp more at our surroundings and I realized that there were numerous runic barriers erected around the perimeter of the hill we were staying atop.

"You… what did you do to me?"

My throat felt tight, painfully so. I almost reached to massage my neck, but I refused to be at ease around _her._

She gave me a long look, perhaps surprised by my raspy and still furious tone.

"Do you remember the two healing potions I gave you?" The woman asked calmly, almost ignorant of what had just happened to me.

But still, I could remember the circumstances quite perfectly.

It all happened earlier this morning, when I first started to attack the boars in what then turned into an extermination campaign to eradicate a large group of those.

One of those had managed to sneak behind and leave a noticeable gash on my thigh. Scathach then deemed it right to give me something to soothe the pain and aid the healing of the injury.

I didn't pay much attention to it as I just drank the potions, and I was quite sure that those were actually working since my injury was quickly healed once I had digested both.

I blinked again, this time connecting dots over this reminder and what had just happened.

The potions were at fault, but… why?

"You… you tricked me."

"I did," The woman responded easily, sounding incredibly unfazed by my furious stare.

…

"You look angry. And I can tell your anger is directed at me," Scathach pointed out. "As if I've done something unforgivable and beyond this silly trickery. As if I've done you the greatest of slights."

I looked away.

"You did."

This time it was her turn to blink. "Is that so?"

…

"Yes," I answered fiercely.

"And I suppose you're angry because you dreamed of me tearing apart everything you care and love for," The former queen guessed calmly, and I found my irritation flaring over the confusing situation I was in.

"What was the true purpose of the potions?" I demanded, knowing that I was entitled to that answer.

"The first one was to put you in a deep sleep. It was created with the feature of triggering when a specific ingredient was brought close to you," She explained calmly, huffing at my scowl. "The second was to bring out the worst nightmare you could ever be forced to live through. By bringing you in that state of fright and failure, I wanted to bring out your true emotions and confirm that you're as genuine as you sounded when you first came in this realm."

Groaning, I finally looked back at her, yet she looked surprised when it was a glare to greet her curious red orbs.

"Well, it bloody worked," I rebuked sternly. "But now I've to ask, was that the task to cement my position as your disciple?"

"Yes-"

"I'm half tempted to outright refuse right now."

…

Scathach looked perplexed at my response, almost intrigued by what could've driven me to become this ferocious and unwilling to spare many words to her.

I was surprised myself that she could fail to see the uneasiness and the distress I had to go through. I wasn't expecting to be coddled under her care, but I didn't want to be tortured like that just for her to confirm how truthful I was about it all.

"On which basis?" She unconsciously dared, and I really wanted to really grin madly at that ignorant query.

"On the basis that I can't trust you," I stated, pushing myself off from her lap to sit at her level. Her stare followed, but she tensed up a little bit at my staunch glaring. "This task, which you've created quite recently, was far worse than the one you had your former students train for. Do you want to know why?"

"..."

She remained quiet, maybe not expecting this little rant from me.

"The challenge of reaching your castle was known to anyone seeking you. The Land of Shadows was known to be infested with monsters and those that died there were those that stupidly felt entitled to some higher power," I explained in the simplest of tones. "There wasn't the trick you employed against me. There was no mean to bring distrust to anyone trying to get that blasted position confirmed. It was all on them if they failed your task."

…

"You didn't grant me this minor mercy. The only thing you gave me now is a reason to distrust you because I will never know if I will one day die of something sudden and unexpected since you deemed it right to 'test' me and tell me nothing about it," I remarked with an angry voice. "Do you think I should genuinely accept such an unfair exchange out of the fact that I was facing something I wasn't prepared about, something that was surely meant to result in my mind collapsing if I failed?!"

…

"No," The woman admitted. "I suppose I could've been… mindful of the fact you seem to have a surprisingly strong connection to those you care about. I thought you were just over-zealous about your attachment to your kingdom, but this… this is more than that. You were whispering a name while you were unconscious. I think it was My-"

"Stop," I interjected. "Don't… say it. Don't say her name now. I don't want to hear you say it."

The vivid nightmare was still leaving a bitter taste on my tongue despite it being fake. It was… fake.

It wasn't real, I refuse to ever consider it the truth.

Instead of staying quiet as I expected her to be, Scathach took my serious voice as a reason to barrage me with inquiries.

"Can at least you tell me why you care so much about them?" She pressed on, regardless of the fact I was glaring daggers at her now. "What drives you to put your entire self on the line?"

"I think you know the truth. I told you already, so I don't see why I should-"

"Why do you feel so happy and unhappy at the same time?"

…

"What?"

"As much as you try to hide this from me, it's easy to see that your expressions alternate between truthful and faux," The warrior-witch pointed out. "You find happiness, but at the same time you feel sad in those moments of success you achieve during your rule. So why? Why do you fake this?"

My scowl shattered at that final query, and I couldn't help but shake my head at that unwanted question.

It was hitting too deep, too strongly. I wanted to flinch, to look away at the truthful assessment of what had of my life in the last month.

I was tired of dealing with everything, but my tiredness wasn't one behind my current life.

I was tired because I was constantly missing what I can no longer reach out for. My family, my home, my friends…

It was all gone because of an unexpected take of events that saw me here to tackle the worst period of British history.

The glory was nice, so was the praise and the warmth of those people I was slowly getting to know as my new family here. But I still couldn't hold myself from missing who I had been forced to leave behind.

"I don't know."

My response was met with a frown from Scathach, but I really didn't give much of a dime as I turned around and started to walk away from the woman.

I took a moment to see around and recognize where I was at the moment so I could start tracing my steps back to the gate to the castle.

Musing over the chances of finding more monsters along the way, I failed to notice that my left leg was stiff and I tripped down to the ground. I snorted at the dusty ground, ignoring the little pain caused by my fall.

"You shouldn't leave now."

"I will come picking the swords tomorrow morning," I muttered calmly as I slowly stood up. "I'm sorry for disturbing your wait. I will no longer bother your lonely stay in this desolate land."

…

"The swords will be repaired-"

"The request is rescinded," I replied sternly.

"Then I shall not allow you out of my domain."

I paused at that rebuttal, my entire body tensing up at that.

"What?"

"You're in no conditions to leave the Land of Shadows," Scathach pointed out. "If you walk back to the gate, you will only find a hungry beast that will make easy prey out of you."

I snorted. "I will take the risk."

I took just another step, and soon I felt her hands grasping at my shoulders from behind.

I was expecting for her to just stop me from walking away. It was a stupid clash of two different degrees of stubborn souls that was never going to see a clear victor.

_Or so I thought before she slowly lifted my right arm and put it around her shoulders._

"I shall personally escort you back to your castle," She proclaimed sternly and with a hint of… defeat? "It would be wrong of me to let my student be devoured by a stray monster because he is too stubborn to accept help."

"I told you that-"

"I heard you. I just decided to ignore the foolish display of idiocy you just committed to," The woman rebuked sassily. "And I will personally make sure you're left under proper medical care before returning back in my domain."

She was planning to leave the Land of Shadows even for just a couple of seconds? Could she actually do this?

I didn't have any proof that she was bound to this place, but I thought that it was the case since she preferred to live there instead of the proper world.

We started to make the path through the forest, and I easily spotted several creatures shying away from approaching us.

They knew that they couldn't exactly challenge Scathach even in that degree of unfairness directed at her. The woman might be cruel, but she was tough enough to deserve that much fear from the inhabitants of those lands.

"I shall start teaching you about the art of war. You clearly need more strategy when fighting, and your footwork can use some improvement," The former queen started to explain without hesitation. "Runes are a must. You need to know how to create barriers and healing stones."

I ignored what she was saying. At this point, I knew my input didn't matter to her line of thoughts. She looked so focused on just doing what she wanted to do with me than actually pause for a moment and ask if I was fine with it.

And I really didn't have the means to rebuke this kind of disrespectful approach at the matter.

Seriously, why the hell was she demanding this commitment? What was I missing about this big topic that would just make things understandable for me.

"And finally, I shall make sure that you're capable of being a man," She muttered with a nod. "I call it… 'Friendship of the Thighs'. But first it's best for you to learn how to employ the Isaz Rune."

I blinked, feeling like this very notion was familiar but also not. Why was it named like that to begin with?!

"The what now? And why that rune?"

The woman didn't reply to any of those, but her ominous smile caused me to shiver unconsciously as I knew that something sinister was hiding behind her happy-looking expression.

_**But seriously, what was she planning to do with me?!**_

* * *

**AN**

**Let's just say that Scathach's plans are going to suffer a strange development quite soon. Let's just say that she fails to see a real problem in her ambitious mission.**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**DannyPhantom619****: Prolly both.**

**Zahiddreux****: As said multiple times now, Joseph only has RL knowledge of the world.**

**Isaac LB****: The rifle will be upgraded too, but it will just be an alternative to medium-powered long-range attacks.**

**Flameemperorastaroth****: As of now, Mya is my fave too. But I don't exclude the chance of this escalating in a softcore Harem. Can't say much right now as my plans are quite messy.**


	16. From Shadows (3)

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**F/SN, F/Z, F/KPI and other products related to the Fate Series are all owned by TYPE-MOON, Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 15****: From Shadows (3)**

* * *

The first thing that struck my mind when I woke up was the fact I was being pressed onto a soft mattress-like surface by something equally soft but warmer.

My brain took a few moments to properly reboot and start the proper queries needed to address the situation.

I was no longer in the Land of Shadows. In fact, I could see from the architectural style of the hospital ward that I was back in my castle and… nobody was around at the moment.

A sigh left my lips as I leaned on the tiny pillow the bed had and decided to waste some time to think back at what happened before I fell asleep.

I remember falling asleep after listening to an explanation from my _former _teacher. I was still aggravated by the nonchalant effort taken by Scathach over my refusal to confirm my apprenticeship.

It was annoying, if not disrespectful of me. I was furious, incredibly so, but also calm enough to look at the subject without getting too incensed about it and too distracted by my emotions over the matter.

The former Queen of Dun Scaith was someone that didn't seem keen to consider how her apprentices handled the harsh methods she delivered. Especially when those were given without notice or contingency to prevent the worst.

This very episode reminded me of when Cu Chulainn was poisoned with a sleep potion by his teacher, all because Scathach wanted to fight her sister alone and without having her apprentice harmed by this sibling-related rivalry.

Eventually that situation solved well and it had a proper reason to happen since Cu Chulainn was known as a brash and battle-oriented warrior that easily disregarded warnings from others.

Heck, he got the title of 'Hound of Culain' for killing the guarding dog of Culann, the famous Irish smith because he found the mutt a threat that had to be killed.

I didn't give her any reason to compare my mindset to her former apprentice's, and yet I was given a similar treatment despite my calmer disposition.

I was pissed, but also confused as to how her mood just was unfazed by my heated refusal. There was just a degree of unwillingness to let go, a mix of confidence and faith in her decision that just burned me more than the situation itself.

How could she just ignore me like that? While I understand the whole 'teacher is wiser thus they know best' kind of pattern, I was at least entitled to a sliver of trust and minor respect.

The explanation of what she intended with 'Friendship of Thighs' did little to lessen up the attrition that was born from that infuriating attempt of hers to a test. In fact, that very description got me stuck in a moral dilemma that only worsened up the opinion I had for her.

While I hadn't spent as much attention to Scathach's legend as I did with the rest of the heroes from the Ulster's Cycle, I was baffled by the fact that this legendary warrior queen had this tradition of bedding her students as a matter of developing kinship and trust.

The very concept was bewildering and absurd. I knew Celtic Britain was a crazy can of mystery and obscenity, but to think that something like that existed…

It was equally disturbing as morbidly intriguing.

I paused for a moment, frowning as I pondered over that mixed opinion I had over it. While it was true that such a tradition was horrifying in a modern connotation, it was also true that it made sense to a Celtic-based individual stuck to a couple of centuries old mindset of loyalty and bond deepening.

Plus I wasn't certainly someone that would deny the incredible beauty the Lady that owned the Land of Shadows had. And the skintight suit she would wear each day… and the resulting sweat-inducing training sessions that would make it glisten to one's eyes-

And now my body was reacting to my creative imagination and… with that, something else reacted as the cover above my chest shuffled for a moment.

My eyes widened as I tried to decipher the phenomenon, dread forcing my face to pale as a theory slowly started to build up at this very instance.

Scathach was the last individual I was with before falling asleep. She was explaining to me how the 'Friendship of Thighs' worked.

Now, I had something soft and warm pressing onto my chest and I could see my clothes folded on the chair in front of the bed with the armor lying beside the piece of furniture.

I wasn't completely naked, but I was limited to my underwear. And yet I was worried since I could feel naked skin pressing onto me.

Mustering all the bravery that survived through that wave of terror, I slowly peeked below the sheets and… stopped at a pair of red eyes staring back at me.

I blinked, and I received a blink back.

"You're awake!" A giggle, then the happy intruder rushed her arms around my neck as she nuzzled her cheek on mine.

"M-Mya?!" I muttered in shock, my hands moving to return the sudden hug as my brain failed to compute what I was dealing with.

Much to my instantaneous relief, she wasn't completely nude. She was wearing some proto-underwear that covered well enough her modesty, and yet this appearance was still enough to warrant a prominent blush out of me.

This wasn't just how I had expected to wake up but…

_Not gonna lie, me likey._

"I-I thought you were going to be more hurt. That woman, I think her name was… Scathach?"

I nodded to confirm her pronunciation and she continued.

"She said you just needed to rest. But we thought she did something to you and I kept her away and..."

"And how does that explain your current state of undress?" I decided to press, knowing that the explanation was going to be equally innocent as indirectly created by some known meddlers.

"Oh? That was something that Altuos said would work as a… deterrent against the lady. And that I had to make my 'claim' known to her."

Oh God.

"And Felicianus said that now we had a 'commitment' or something like that, and that he wanted to see us both as soon as you're capable of leaving the bed."

Of course the old man would try and set up a marriage between Mya and me thanks to this opportunity.

I knew that more paperwork would do well against Altuos, but Felicianus needed a stern talk now more than ever. He was getting a wee bit annoying with his efforts to make his ships sail.

But while I was distracted by these thoughts, I felt Mya hum as she carefully set her face closer to mine. I frowned as soon as I felt her warm breath right onto my chin.

"Joseph… can we talk about… us?"

Oh. Oh boy.

A stern talk? Maybe I should directly set up a new bishop by the time this is over.

"What about it?" My throat felt tight all so suddenly, and my voice cracked at the end.

Mya didn't notice much to my relief, yet the situation itself was tense as it was despite this tiny mercy.

"Do you remember what you told me when I was sick and… about how everyone deserves a chance at happiness, even me?"

I nodded, surprised by this strange turn of the conversation.

The young woman sighed. "Can I ask you a question that… I wanted to ask you for some time now?"

Frowning, I nodded again. I decided against pressing her too much about the matter, still unsure myself about what she was exactly trying to bring up.

"Do you feel happy?"

…

What?

I blinked, my stare turning up at the ceiling as I contemplated the difficult question.

Do I feel happy?

I should be happy by all means. Londinium was doing great, the prospect of the next few years was quite impressive and I knew that people were living a better life ever since I started to introduce some social rules and work to this society.

We were ready to defend our territories if the situation demanded the deployment of troops, and I was already working on having new war-related equipment created for the occasion. Nothing too big, and nothing too absurd just yet. The weapon-makers weren't just there to make a decent step forward.

But as I felt ready to deliver a solid yes to that query, I found myself held back by a detail that was surprisingly compelling to listen to.

I was **fine **with this, but this wasn't what the girl had just asked me.

The realization was slow and painful to digest, especially when the idea that I was the one that made a compelling case to Mya that everyone with good intentions deserved happiness.

I really screwed myself by being so open about the topic, and I knew I couldn't just try to 'fix' it by delaying this very simple question. Changing what I had said to her after months had gone by ever since I told her that… I knew Mya wasn't going to accept it.

Not when the young woman had grown intellectually stronger in that regard.

But could I tell her the truth?

"I am happy."

No. I just wasn't ready for this.

I expected for the discussion to shift elsewhere, with the white-haired lady taking another topic of this conversation instead of lingering too long on my answer.

And yet my expectations weren't just subverted, but forced to do a double backflip before my eyes as she huffed and shuffled closer to my face.

Her nose pressed on my cheek and I felt her stare aimed so intensely at my face much to my confusion. She didn't look much elated with my response.

"Liar."

I blinked. "What?"

…

"Liar. You're lying to me."

"I'm not."

"You are," Mya continued without hesitation. "In fact, I think you're also lying to yourself even now."

How could she just see through me like that? I mean, sure, we spent months together and she got to see me a lot but… how did she get this much accustomed to how my brain works?

How?

"Mya-"

"Do you miss your family?"

I tensed up at the sudden query, my eyes widening as she continued to press on me.

"Do you miss them?"

…

"A little bit, yes."

…

"Joseph, I think you deserve happiness."

I blinked. "I guess-"

"I mean it," Mya interjected fiercely. "You're the one that has been doing the most to bring happiness to everyone in this city, and yet you deprive yourself of asking for something."

"I do this because it's the right thing, not because I want something out of the job."

She huffed. "And yet you still should. But I'm not saying you should ask an object or… money. I mean… you should ask for something that makes you happy yourself."

I blinked at that rebuttal, but before I had the chance of saying anything about it, Mya moved in with another unexpected affirmation.

"And… I think I should be the one to help you. Just like you were the one that helped me stand up from where you found me."

"What-"

"I want to be beside you when anything bad happens, I want to be there to offer you a smile when you need to have someone to give you trust and faithfulness," She started to say with a serious tone. "I want to… be there when you want to be sad, to allow the frustration wash away from you. And I want to be there to cheer you on when you need someone to hold onto."

"Mya-"

"I want to hold your hand, to give you hope, to show you kindness, and allow you to find happiness." Her smile widened. "Joseph, I know this is difficult to accept this and… I think words will not fit with what I want to say."

I was stomped, but my confusion barely reached for the immense sense of awe at the words I was bestowed with. It was so mesmerizing that I felt her lips on mine once the kiss had begun.

There was nervousness from both parts and my reluctance clashed with my genuine sense of completion.

This wasn't the first relationship I had been in, but this was perhaps the only one I felt this much invested in and surprised by the pace and the intensity it created from knowing Mya for a few months now.

With my hesitation crumbling before my resolve, the girl's own uncertainty before the lack of an early response ended up fading away as the kiss grew a little more… sure.

It was still chaste, and nothing genuinely sexual in nature. It just felt wrong to ruin the serenity of the intimate act by going that far. It just felt too much for the moment.

Mya was inexperienced in kissing, and yet she was far better than other girls that I had the chance of meeting that were in her same situation.

The little session lasted for a couple more seconds, with both retreating to get some air to our lungs. I smiled awkwardly, and her now pinker face looked incredibly adorable since it matched well with the cute smile in there. A victorious smile at that.

After that, we continued to speak a little more about this and… then people decided to visit. It was bizarre to 'explain' to Altuos and Felicianus why we were both stuck in that situation, but they seemed to understand properly and without any issues when I mentioned some punishment over any meddling from their part.

Marcus just chuckled at the goldmine of blackmail he had stumbled on, while Lancelot regaled us with a happy look as he had 'expected this union to happen'.

It took me even longer to explain to him that we just kissed and nothing else, surprisingly enough leaving the knight to grimace over the 'lost opportunity'.

_**It would seem like the conspiracy was extended a little more than the two elders that were usually bickering with other subjects.**_

* * *

With the formalization of my engagement with Mya and some more private kissing with my fiance, I decided that it was due time to handle the situation with Scathach.

I would've preferred to spend a day or two to ponder over the matter but… after talking this to Mya, I came to the conclusion that I needed to settle this now instead of hesitating over it.

I needed to show a degree of respectfulness to the violet-haired woman instead of behaving childishly, and that would start by addressing an element in the predicament I hadn't taken in consideration.

Despite my unwillingness to accept her attempt to turn me into her new apprentice, she went out of her way to personally escort me out of her domain instead of just allowing me to leave on my own.

While many wouldn't think much of this, it was incorrect to believe the action was meant to be considered a minor one.

The last time Scathach left the Land of Shadows was way before the Roman Empire came to be, and she barely knew what happened in the centuries that followed her self-exile in these disconnected lands.

To her it was a matter of trust in the new generations of humanity to persist and grow in front of adversities set against them. That by allowing herself, a part of the past, to emerge and meddle with the fate of the world, even if it was all for the sake of good, would just be a discourtesy for those willing to take on the deed and become great through the hardships of their lives.

The mindset was ruthless if not appealing from the perspective of 'ancient good'.

The concept of being a good person wasn't tied and permanently the same from mankind's birth to the modern world I was accustomed to.

Morality expanded with the expansion of virtues, the growth of the ever-complex sense of justice and worth.

From a general sense of good that Scathach was accustomed to, I was detached from this simplified view by what I was taught to believe in during the years I spent growing and becoming a capable adult.

The same applied to the way teaching was dealt with.

I remember the initial struggle I had when Marcus started to train me. The sessions felt so difficult and tough, and there were times I felt like the man was just trying to get me to snap.

But then I got the strain and drain diluted with determination and tenacity.

I needed to train as the world was still unforgiving.

And that's where the problem with Scathach was really born from.

I had expected the woman to have at least the basis of training similar to the one I knew from either Marcus or Lancelot.

The need to be aware and ready to strike when needed. To be prepared for the worst but also be quick to trust your mentor when the time demanded that kind of price.

Yet I was proven wrong when Scathach's way of training was more strict. Brutal. Based on a need to be always guarded at the chance of being attacked. At the possibility of being killed by a wandering monster.

The idea would've worked well if it wasn't for the fact that the world had changed from the times when people had to keep track of creatures trying to kill innocents.

Which explained why training became more lenient towards knights, warriors, and soldiers.

Still, I knew that the only way I could've salvaged that situation was to find a 'common ground' for Scathach and I to stand on for the reminder of this bizarre apprenticeship. And that was if I managed to convince the woman to take a more 'current' version of the method of training and trust.

Entering the Land of Shadows, I was greeted by a quiet gust of wind. It was warm, and I blinked in surprise when I took notice of this.

Until now, these lands were a perfect display of a surreal forest stuck between autumn and winter, and to feel this hot wind was… confusing.

It was just the first sign that something I hadn't expected to find this early in the morning.

The sky was clouded as usual, but instead of the odd blue-red combo of clouds, I was provided with a strange mixture that created a… copy of a dawning sun.

There was no sun in the Land of Shadows, and yet the clouds were formed in a manner that resembled one with the way some were a brighter tonality of red.

I approached the spectacle, eventually making my way through some of the silent sections of the land as I wanted to find a place where to see the sight unfold in a better way.

Eventually I reached the top of one of the few hills in there and was surprised to find the person I was trying to find sitting by one of the rocks in there. I stared at her for some silent seconds, unsure if she had sensed me or not while her gaze was locked to the strange scene before us.

Instead of hesitating and lingering in that tense position I had taken, I decided to take steps forward and… sit on the free space available on the rock she was sitting on.

Her red eyes finally greeted me quietly and I tried my best to make it seem I was paying attention only to the strange sky-related phenomenon rather than her.

Scathach didn't speak, but I could tell that she wanted to speak about the current situation and not what happened before.

And I knew that I had to be the one to make these steps or else this circumstance was never going to get solved.

"I wish to talk with you. About… what happened yesterday."

Her eyes were once more on me, and I finally glanced back at her to make it clear I was serious about it and not just fooling about the matter.

"I wish to… apologize for the harsh way I behaved," I continued with a serious tone. "I should've been less impulsive and… less blunt. I believe I was partly at fault for what happened and-"

"Don't."

I stopped, looking a little bit surprised at the curt interjection.

"While you're correct in saying that you could've handled the situation better, I don't believe you should fault yourself about it," The woman admitted calmly, looking to the clouds once again. "You weren't thinking straight because of the extreme duress you were put through, but you aren't wrong to find my ways of teaching… too harsh."

...What?

"Your castle. It's different from Dun Scaith, and not just by its size and appearance," Scathach continued with a sigh. "The people in it. Those that stand behind you, they look so different and behave with softer mannerism compared to how my former subjects used to address me."

"So you think that-"

"I'm a teacher, but I'm also an individual that long forgot that sometimes learning never ceases and that the only way to handle it is by keeping a close contact with the newer generations," She added with a nod. "By growing distant from the world, I also forsook the chances of keeping in touch with how society grew and… I didn't expect for things to become safer… but also more complicated."

Silence ensued, but it was a brief one as the woman quietly brought up a book on her lap. I glanced at it, my eyes widening a little bit as I realized the content from its title.

**De Bello Britanniae**

I frowned as the title reminded me of books written by a certain Roman, and I was given confirmation of this when Scathach spoke once more.

"Julius Caesar. The Romans came and swept away the old ways to give them 'civilization' and prosperity. Rebellions, wars of independence and ultimately the retreat of the empire," She started to list up. "The world has changed so much since I've left my domain, but the thing that surprises me is the sudden lack of monsters lurking in the isles."

"The connection to the mystery is fading," I muttered dryly and she nodded in agreement.

"Which is why society is no longer centered around warriors set against enemies of humanity. But knights aimed at fellow men and women."

It was truly saddening how war became more prominent only because the world was deprived of problems that would usually rally humans with different interests and ambitions under a single banner.

Despite my silent musing, the woman was far from done with this conversation despite the worst mostly dealt with. At least, that was what I thought to be the worst until _that was asked._

"I actually have a few questions I wish to ask you."

I frowned, surprised at this strange interruption, but still nodded and allowed her to ask.

"What did you see in that nightmare?" She interrogated patiently. "What got you to react like that?"

Blinking at the unexpected queries, I decided to answer as curtly as possible.

"You… killed some people I care about."

"The girl? The one with white hair and-"

"Yes."

…

"Why do you think I would kill her and others?"

I took a moment to breathe, pushing back the memories of that ugly scenario as I answered this new question. There wasn't much to hold back and… what could go wrong with some honesty?

"Because… you wanted to disprove my capacity to protect those I care about," I remarked and Scathach nodded, gauging my words carefully and with some fascination.

"So you believe the test was… the test that was shown in that illusion?"

I nodded, waiting for her hums to come to an end as the violet-haired woman studied the matter some more.

"What is your relationship with the girl? Is she a friend, a sister or-"

"I'm engaged with her."

I mean, it was a recent development but… I wanted the news to deter the woman from pursuing the whole 'Friendship of Thighs' she was trying to push onto me.

Much to my surprise and grimace, she merely nodded and didn't give any signs of being perturbed by this development.

Would she attempt at that despite a holy union akin to marriage? I was really unsure about it...

"You believed I had ordained the test to be that harsh and complex, and yet the true issue was how 'creative' you are when conceptualizing your own fears," The woman analyzed out loud. "It's still my fault for expecting you to elaborate something more tame and easier to manage, but then again you don't seem capable of fearing this much."

…

"Next time I will be less inclined to trick you in this kind of mind-related test now that I know how complex and unpredictable you react to this potion," Scathach guaranteed with a truthful tone. "But I want you to assure me that you will not hold back from giving your best in any training sessions."

So that was it, I was still going to train under her and accept the apprenticeship.

"Only if you can offer me at least a minimal degree of trust. I think I warranted it."

She nodded. "I suppose I could. But I think it will be best to gain it by going through the first training session without getting too injured by it."

I stood up as soon as the woman began walking off the rock, and then we stood one looking at the other as we both took a stance without taking our respective weapons out.

"We shall start from some simple steps. Nothing too complex."

I nodded, accepting that we were going through the basics.

Then I was given the 'simple steps' and I started to feel regret when her mean punches struck at my nose and at my ribs. I moved away, handling the pain a little bit as I was barely standing after two punches.

"You're strong and quick, but you don't have much endurance to hold yourself against strong attacks. You need to build up some resilience to physical hits."

Sounds fair, but incredibly brutal considering how she wanted to do this.

"Until now you got close to defeat because you didn't have much defense. So I'm going to teach you the best defense that you can know of," She stated with a serious tone. "And the best defense-"

The ensuing punch drove onto my stomach, slamming quickly and painfully as I found myself recoiling and brought to my knees.

"Is more offense."

_**Why does this seem so familiar? And why do I feel the need to call Scathach my sensei?**_

* * *

**AN**

**Kudos to anyone spotting the final reference. It's a little amusing bit I got from a recent show and… yeah, I can kind of imagine Scathach pulling a similar teaching act as the guy the reference is based from.**

**Also, yes. Nobody is really at fault for what happened with that test. Albeit Scathach receives part of the fault, most of it is to blame to the different mindsets they both have about teaching.**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Guest Q****: I mean, I don't see any reason to replace… but add?**

**Dilangp1999****: Not this chapter, but maybe next one he will start dealing with his nostalgia on a more permanent level. Especially with Mya being curious about the matter since she wants to help him solve this personal issue.**

**Modern Dreamer****: I'm still debating whenever or not I should include it in the FFN version or just add it in AO3 with the rest of the lemons. Dunno, maybe.**

**Overtale****: Yes, but not anytime soon. Give it time for King JoJo to have his main weapon created.**


	17. From Shadows (4)

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**F/SN, F/Z, F/KPI and other products related to the Fate Series are all owned by TYPE-MOON, Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 16****: From Shadows (4)**

* * *

If I had to be honest, I have to say that I wasn't expecting to be burdened by this much 'homework' all at once.

Scathach proved herself true when she said that she was planning less subtle approaches. She gave me some trust in exchange for some faith from my part in her training skill and… the result was that the training got a far lot more intense.

The woman was vicious, but there was now a touch of concern mellowing the entire thing to actually nor kill me. And in return I would show utmost determination against all challenges she would put against me.

Sometimes I would win, others I would be beaten without a chance to recover and retaliate.

But the sheer intensity was something I had no reason to truly condemn. It was unpleasant, yes, but I wasn't planning to go back on my words after what happened last time.

She was receptive to my comments as much I was receptive to her teachings. This relationship was only productive now as we both gained something from it.

While I was busy learning how to fight and how to make use of runes, she would take the opportunity to visit the castle. At first everyone was tense. Legitimately so.

Despite her calm and composed personality, Scathach still exuded a degree of inhumanity.

Not that she was willingly causing it to be but… the sense of detachment coming after centuries of being isolated in her realm was enough to leave in her something of an aura. A very unpleasant one at that.

After almost a month of this becoming a thing, she kind of was 'accepted' by most of the castle. Some were still hesitant to trust her to the extent of an ally, but they were well on the way to see her as such.

Mya was the first one to open up, feeling rather interested by the fact that Scathach had found her dishes worthy of notable praise. After their differences had cleared out, the two women had established something of a work relationship.

Every time Mya would be making some food in the kitchens, she would make a meal assigned for the Scottish warrior to try out when I would visit her.

In exchange, the Lady of the Land of Shadows would offer constructive criticism for the girl to improve from. While this seemed an unfair exchange, and so I did think of that at first, I quickly realized how those small 'fixes' actually brought a higher quality to the dishes created by the white-haired young woman.

Speaking of the girl that had confessed to me a while ago, I decided to spend the full month offering a good portion of each day to keep around Mya.

May it be for a silly activity, or something a little more private, the two of us grew more accustomed to this change of pace.

There was no real reason interest in rushing things up as I knew that we were both trying to adjust to the novelty… but I knew that I couldn't just go for the 'safest route'.

I couldn't exactly try to drag this state of relationship for too long and without actually marrying her. While I did so much to change aspects of the current society to 'advance' to something close to what I was accustomed to, I made no real pushes for changing how 'relationships' worked in this age.

Courtship could be used to camouflage the whole 'boyfriend/girlfriend' stage, but courtship wasn't expected to last too long in medieval standards. Especially when both targets were of age and ready to be wedded.

If a marriage wasn't issued in a little less than another month, then things were going to take a turn I really wasn't ready to consider. I would have to deal with a full fall out with Felicianus, and maybe even Altuos… and surely half of my kingdom over my hesitance over something 'as simple' as setting up a wedding.

…

To be fair, this job isn't as easy as they wanted it to sound like.

People marrying for convenience just numbed their brains into believing that it's fine to rush things and if things don't work out then there are solutions to avoid any bad outcome.

But… I wasn't marrying Mya for convenience. There was no gain for me, nor for her.

She already had a safe home, a place where to rest and nap- a place where to experiment and learn.

So the question was apparent for me to pick up. Why was I having cold feet when things looked so fine all in all?

There was no doubt that she loved me, and that I loved her in return.

…

But what if I ended up messing things for her? What if I failed to stand up with my duties as a husband?

It was a big step up from any relationship I had. And boy, my cousin would be grilling me about being mindful of my recklessness when around someone like Mya.

There was nothing noteworthy happening with the kingdom's affairs. The current improvements were still undergoing to be implemented with the rest of the settlements, and I wasn't in a proper position to do some more without screwing too much with my limited resources.

So I just had to juggle what tasks I had been having for some time now… while also handling my own issues.

One thing led to another and… this uneasiness reached out for my usual state of mind.

I was busy getting my ass kicked again from Scathach, this time putting on a bigger fight than I did a month ago and… I ended up losing focus of my stance. It was sudden, and I felt somewhat annoyed as I started to think that later that day I would have to tend to the garden with Mya.

The mere thought got me distracted and… the vicious punch sending me flying onto some trees was enough to take me back to reality.

And while I was back from my thoughts, my teacher seemed to notice my unusual state of mind.

"Enough, you're not putting the usual effort."

I frowned at the harsh comment, but I sighed as she gave me a glare that just hinted at her unwillingness to resume the spar.

Instead of stopping the session altogether, the woman was quick to lead me back to the area we would go to practice runes.

The scene was eerily quiet, and while it wasn't unusual for things to be silent while we were busy producing enchanted minerals, I could tell that the former Queen was trying to understand what was wrong with me while also trying to be all silent and unwilling to directly ask.

I was inclined to believe she was bored and that my current mood was a puzzle for her to solve without ruining it by literally getting a straight answer out of me.

The entire situation lasted about twenty minutes of solid staring and… I sighed.

"I'm having some dumb thoughts about marriage."

My voice broke the little game for her, and her annoyed look turned the normally dull session in something fairly hilarious.

"You're planning to marry? I didn't expect you to be already aiming at that kind of relationship?"

"Let's just say that it is more of a tradition since I'm courting Mya," I answered with a sigh. "We have been like this for a month now, and there is some pressure to see us married before the next month comes to an end."

Silence resumed shortly after, and for a moment I thought that Scathach wasn't going to press for more details on the matter since her attention was once more on her runic stones.

…

"Are you two having troubles as a couple?"

I paused with the engraving process I was going through.

"No."

"You seem sure of it."

"That's because I am sure of it," I confirmed, drawing a perplexed look from her.

"Then why are you making it seem like there is something wrong between you two."

…

"What?"

"Times might have changed, but I reckon that problems need to exist for one to be using those as a reason to be worried or unhappy," The woman explained without hesitation and… I actually nodded at that.

"I suppose the problem is… a worry of mine. A big one at that."

She stopped her own work to stare at me. And she was really confused by what I had just said.

"A worry? You're worried about… marrying?"

"Something like that."

…

"Why?"

I sighed. "I'm… it's tough to say but… I'm afraid I might mess up with Mya. She is so happy, so lively and… what if I do something while we're married and that hurts her."

"She is stronger than she looks," Scathach pointed out. "And you shouldn't worry about that. Especially since you're not planning to do something like that willingly."

"Of course I wouldn't plan to hurt her. That's- but that's not the real issue," I said, completely forgetting about the runes. "What if after we are married, I end up too busy with my work as a king? What if a war comes and I'm busy away from home because I need to be there for the battles?"

Scathach stared at me with renewed annoyance.

"And is this worry… based on something logical, or are you just trying to complicate your life with mostly baseless possibilities?"

"Knowing how the situation is with the northern region, I'm already planning to go to war in two months from now," I admitted grimly. "I allowed Morgan too much time to recover, and I can't allow the Lothian to integrate their new territories."

"And if that happens, then I will make sure that your wife is given plenty of friendly and amusing sights while you're away," Scathach rebuffed with ease. "You're worrying about this, because deep down you feel that you're not enough for her."

…

"What?"

She sighed. "It's common for men to worry about flimsy issues, but Love is not something as easy to scoff at as is picking swords over lances," The woman calmly explained. "You might have picked the best of choices, and yet you will always feel you're just a step too short to fit in with the needs of being enough for your other half's happiness."

I blinked at her words, and I found a sense of rare melancholy within those. It was uncommon for Scathach to be this open about her own emotions.

Sometimes it was because she didn't feel the need to indulge in those… but most of the time it was because she was 'limited' with her picking.

Some feelings just weren't as refined as they were a long time ago, and the bitterness of the lonely realm left her apathetic to any attempt to bring those back.

...Yet now she was looking particularly at ease, a sight that was as unnatural as slightly concerning.

In a world where everything could kill you and where one should always keep the guard up for any ambushes, it was purely odd for her to appear so calm and relaxed.

And for a moment, I lulled myself in an unexpected hope of having my curiosity quenched.

"Do you miss what once was?" I inquired. "The time when you had a reason to believe in living?"

Her red eyes were away from me, yet her head bowed just so slightly at my questioning in a feeble response.

"While many would weep over better days, I'm well-beyond that sorrow," She admitted without hesitation, her voice hollow and devoid of emotions. "But I will always miss those that I've lost. I might see their passing as a necessity, a part of nature that everyone is blessed and cursed at the same time to have. Yet I still feel saddened by the fact they are no longer there to… be here."

…

"Teacher. May I ask you just one last question and… I will let you be with your thoughts?"

At this point, there was no reason for me to stay there if I had her set with this topic. I could recognize I had left her so vulnerable, and in need of time to ponder about this tragic taste of nostalgia.

"You may."

I stood up from my seat, setting down the unfinished runes on the proper boxes and… I spoke.

"Do you believe that, if _they_ were there, they would be happy seeing you saddened over their disappearances?"

She blinked, as if handed a sudden slap that woke her up from her reverie.

Her stare moved up to my face and for some intense moments, I felt my soul undressed by her vicious, hurt and regretful glare.

I expected her to just look and do nothing. To watch and not rebuke with violence.

I was wrong. On several accounts at that.

I barely saw her move off her rock, my brain sickened just momentarily as I felt my footing lost under a sudden pounce for her. My fall was painful, but nowhere deadly or leaving me with a bloody injury.

Yet I was far from safe as her stare felt even scarier and more difficult to handle as it was so close to me.

"You think you can just expect me to bow to something you believe is a moral high ground? That your beliefs can easily berate mine from a pedestal you've built out of luck and easy planning?"

…

"Right now, I'm the teacher and you're my student. I know things you don't, I believe in things you have yet to, and I'm the one that holds the keys to your success… or failure," She continued without restraint. "I hold your destiny, and I will decide if I should bless you with greatness, or leave you a dumb fool of a king."

Her face lowered down and without speaking any further, she pressed her lips onto mine.

Cue the immense dread suddenly becoming confusion, with my mind blanking out at the sudden powerful kiss.

The woman recoiled slowly and without notice, and she looked barely fazed by that intimate action.

"For a month I've allowed you to wander my domain without paying a toll," The woman finally answered my quiet question. "But today things will change. This is the price of entering my realm, this is the price of training under me after your attempt to prove a point you don't have."

Scathach slowly stood up from me and made just two steps away from my weary form.

"You may leave now. This session… I believe we both have much to think about."

I silently stood up, giving her a lengthy glance as to understand what had just happened.

I merely started to make the first few steps toward the exit door that I felt her speak again.

"And one last thing," The teacher muttered suddenly and without hesitation. "If there was even a chance of you hurting someone you care… I would be there to put an end of it, either with words or with a taste of just violence."

The ultimatum was clear, but instead of making me worry for my life… It made me somewhat relaxed at the chance of this preventing me from hurting Mya.

_**But that kiss? I sure as hell am going to ponder a long time about it.**_

* * *

"Do you know how to dance?"

The question took me out by surprise, my eyes widening as I stared away from the roses I was tending too.

Mya was leaning close to my face, almost making me jump as I realized how close she really was.

Instead of shying away from the proximity, I took the opportunity to give her a peck on her lips.

She giggled in response, but seemed really interested in the topic from the way she was still staring at me.

"A little bit. I never studied much about it."

The young woman hummed as she took a seat beside me, helping me with the pretty flowers.

"Altuos said that important celebrations could have dances," The girl explained, motivating her unexpected questioning. "And I've never danced with someone… it's always alone."

I frowned. "Really? I thought you would've asked for someone to try it out."

"I did, but the guards were unwilling to leave their duties unattended for some petty request."

I suppose they were just trying to appear appeasing but… they are working for the defense of the castle. After what happened with Morgan when I first met her, it was just legitimate to have their patrolling reinforced as an order rather than just a duty.

"And have you asked anyone else?"

She shook her head, and I hummed.

"Then why didn't you ask me? I would've said yes."

"But you're always busy and… I know it wouldn't be nice if I came to interrupt your work," Mya admitted with an uneasy tone. "And I don't want to be a pest and-"

"Mya," I stopped her. "What's wrong?"

…

She sighed. "I know you told me that I could check on you, but now that we are close to a wedding… I don't wish to become a bother-"

"A bother- what?"

What was she talking about? A bother? Who was the deranged bastard I had to have hanged?!

"Since wives are to be subservient to their husbands-"

"Felicianus?" I asked with a tense tone. "Who told you this, was it the Arch-Bishop or-"

"I-I read it. In a book."

I stared at her a little longer, expecting her to give me a name to deal with but… it seemed that it was a book's fault for her misconception.

And what a big misconception at that!

But the more I spoke with her about the matter, the more I realized how it was surprisingly enough the opposite of my own worry.

I was afraid of spending too little around her, while she was afraid of overstepping her boundaries and taking too much time of mine from my work.

It was so stupid, so incredibly dumb… but also a sign that I might have indeed made a mistake by being dragged down by this concern.

And in that clarity of mind I decided to make something so insanely simple as incredibly absurd by all means of kingship.

For a brief moment, I remembered that while the crown was on my head, it wasn't my head.

"Mya, forgive me if I ask you this suddenly… but if you had a full day with me around, how would you want to spend it like?"

A blink, then two. The woman spent a moment reorganizing her thoughts at the immediate question, but she seemed to recover in record time as she spoke just a few seconds after I've asked.

"W-Well, I… I think I would like to wander around the city and see how the people are," She admitted with all the honesty she could muster. "You always told me that we couldn't check around for too long because it was either too late or because you didn't have the time to do so."

I nodded, remembering how difficult it was to wander around Londinium nowadays.

It wasn't like I couldn't spare an hour or two, but it was generally late for me to check the city since my free hours were after training and after I was done with the daily paperwork.

Mya always wanted to walk around in the streets of the city, to see that the castle wasn't just the city and that there were other people other than the guilds' members and the guards.

I could see why that would be her priority.

"And next? Like, do you have a place you would want us to have lunch? Or maybe dishes you would wish to eat for that day?"

Instead of questioning why I had taken such a wild tangent from the previous topic we were discussing, she decided to humor me.

"Well, I wanted to see if the soup kitchen Felicianus spoke about was offering food as good as he mentioned. Maybe even help if they needed an extra hand."

My smile widened at that sliver of selfishness.

I always wanted to give a thorough look at one of my first ideas ever since I started to rule, but the paperwork made things so difficult and… and I wasn't done yet.

"What about the afternoon? A visit around the garden, maybe to tend it as we're doing today?"

Mya sighed, staring at the various flowers around.

"Maybe. Maybe even dance a little around and forget about time and the world."

I should try to see if I had some classic music on my phone. I had the device working just barely thanks to electric runes being used on low currency, but it should hold a song or two about waltzes if I had some saved up.

"Together and without a single worry to interrupt us," I added quietly, gaining another sigh from her.

"It would be so nice, but I know that you've duties and-"

"Tomorrow."

…

"Tomorrow? What about it?"

Oh my, this is going to be difficult to make it clear for her without getting yelled at.

"Well, tomorrow is a good day to spend together with my fiance. To enjoy the beauty of the city, to check on the soup kitchens and… to maybe practice dancing in this beautiful place."

…

…

"Don't you… have paperwork?"

"For one day, I know I can delegate things to Altuos. Felicianus might be annoyed, but considering why I'm taking a day off, I'm sure he will be happy to have another addition to his 'master plan'."

Mya giggled at that comment, but then gave me a concerned look as seriousness returned to the conversation.

"But are you doing this because of our conversation or-"

"I've been worried that I would end up ignoring you once we're fully settled together. Once we set our marriage and… let the vows take place," I explained with a patient hum. "And I don't want to make you feel forgotten."

"Why- Why would I ever think that?" The young woman rebuked. "I know that your work as the king isn't an easy feat. That you don't waste time- that you handle urgent matters."

"Most of the time, yes," I replied with a nod. "But I still believe that you should be forbidden from checking on me whenever you wish. From being allowed to be what I want you to remain as."

A frown adorned her beautiful face. "You want me to-"

"Visit me. Humor me. Speak to me when you need to talk to me," I listed out without hesitation. "I want you to be Mya, not a servant. I want you to be my wife, just like you want me to be your husband."

I proceeded to deliver a quick kiss to her, adding awe to her shock.

"Y-You- but what about Altuos? Wouldn't he be mad that you leave him that much work?"

I gave her a devious look at that.

"He told me that he was having less paperwork than usual while we were conversing on my own stack of paper and ink. I'm sure he will survive through it."

Mya giggled, this time being the one to lean towards me for a kiss, this one longer than the previous ones.

And with that in mind, the setting of a proper date was planned. A date filled with love, discoveries, fixes, and a gran finale to remember for the rest of our lives.

_**But as we plotted our little day together, two cloaked individuals were slowly making their way towards the Londinium. Their objective? Meeting King Joseph.**_

* * *

**AN**

**So much to say, so much to do.**

**Scathach. What happened? She is slowly making moves. Beware, the unique friendship is soon to be enacted! Maybe!**

**Mya. The cinnamon roll is making steps into a growth to maturity. But she will still retain some of her childishness, if not most of it through the way.**

**Two new characters coming next arc- who are they? Enemies or allies?**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Crown of Reaper****: Yes, Mya could potentially become a Heroic Spirit.**

**Billy Reb****: Yas!**

**RandyKaguyaofthewasteland****: A fluffier version of the FotT is planned for this story.**

**Guest (Chapter 16)****: Can't build stats without his weapon being revealed.**

**Isaac LB****: Worry not, I dealt with enough Constitution-related subjects that I know how to handle this part.**

**Kalvernus****: I will keep an eye out of this list. That's some good list!**

**AlernateReality****: The one that doesn't have Command Seals to avoid a quick death.**


	18. The Pup and the Unruly (1)

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**F/SN, F/Z, F/KPI and other products related to the Fate Series are all owned by TYPE-MOON, Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 17****: The Pup and the Unruly (1)**

* * *

Oh yes. This is what I needed.

Imagine being holed in a castle for months, with just a few instances (and odd circumstances like visiting the Land of Shadows) that had me walking outside and see the world outside, and now being given the chance to not only give a proper look to the result of my careful planning, but also doing so together with the very person I was planning to spend the rest of my life with.

Mya was excited. While at first she had been skeptical about the whole idea, she ultimately had to accept the fact that I was offering her a golden opportunity. One that wasn't exactly going to mess up with anything I had planned for the month.

When tasked to take over the paperwork for the day, Altuos was worried that I was sick or planning to do something brazen for the day, but after explaining to him the reason behind the request and why he was to be subjected to the punishment by paper and ink, he seemed rather compliant with my proposal.

Just as planned, I thought as I walked outside his office, resuming my walk with Mya through the castle as we prepared for our date. Lancelot was following nearby, the knight deciding against being too close for the sake of not ruining the rather intimate moment.

Kudos for the good man, but I could tell that the guy really needed to find himself a wife, or else things were going to take a sad turn for the currently loyal guard.

I knew he was meaning well with everything, but the chances of him aiming for a fling with Ria's wife might create quite the absurd predicament I wasn't sure how I would tackle.

I mean, I could be rightfully pissed if that 'cheating' event was perpetrated against a normal couple, but I knew well enough that Ria didn't marry Guinevere out of love or for a genuine need for an heir.

Her kingdom needed a resemblance of 'stability', and that was created with the presence of a King and a Queen. Arthur and Guinevere.

I was still confused by the fact that the blonde had mentioned her interest in producing an heir to the kingdom despite a couple non-negligible issues that made the entire idea dumb.

Sure, 'magic' was a thing, but how could Ria be rendered able to make an heir if she-

…

…

_Nah, there is no way Ria would actually accept that. Merlin could theoretically do something like this on a whim, maybe, but she would never go through with that. It would be too silly- too idiotic from someone like her._

Shoving away this thought to the dumpster fire that existed in the deepest part of my brain, I shifted my focus back on the important day that was today.

"Are you ready to see the city, my lady?" I asked teasingly, getting a snort and a giggle out of the young woman as she leaned close to me. Her arms were wrapped around my right arm, so we were as close as we could be without things getting too scandalous.

"Only if you wish so, your majesty."

I sighed. "Sure, why not. Let's give a look at Londinium then!"

With that proclamation, the small group walked out through the main entrance of the castle. The guards around stopped to salute me. A common gesture that was easily dismissed with a quick nod from my part.

It was meant to be a simple day in the city. Nothing too big for anyone in there but us, a normal couple.

The first thing that I noticed as we crossed the grand gates of our home was the fine expansion of the city in its general form. I could still remember seeing it for a time when I was still trying with Marcus and just a little before when I had to deal with the first wave of Germanic troops.

The former set of walls had been removed once plans had been implemented about expanding the city's size to accommodate more people.

First a new modern set of walls was commissioned. The barrier wasn't as thick as I would've hoped it to be, mostly because the work would've taken too long to have done as I had planned out early on.

Then it was the turn of the new houses and some modifications to the old infrastructure. Roads were 'reworked' to not be too uneven, and some were outright altered to include the new paths that would've connected to the newer districts of Londinium. With the 'Old Ring', the quarter that was once the original city, housing now mostly soldiers and guilds, the rest of the homes were 'moved' to the outer sections.

The decision was one that took thought and major attention to the execution since I was literally asking people to move away from their original ones, to newer and improved ones.

Some skeptical voices rose at first, but then as the new houses were allowed to be visited, many changed their mind and accepted the settlement without too much of a fuss.

The rest… was a tough nut to crack. Some compromises had to be made, mostly on the basis that they had their workplace within their homes, and in this case I had to accept their need to stay in their original houses to continue their jobs properly.

Another detail, this time pointed out by Mya as she took notice of this first, was the presence of heavier clothes being used by the people in there. With hunters doubling in numbers, and the population now needing a large amount of fur to have an adequate kind of dressing, the sector had boomed as winter approached.

But with the castle's rooms properly warm, there was no genuine reason to buy any of that, with just some of the guards that were assigned to spots in the open needing heavier clothes for their tasks.

The young woman shivered, a little surprised that the cold gusts were well beyond what her coat could defend her from. At the sight of such an issue, I offered her to put on my own coat, ending up bickering with her about 'being smart' against 'being polite'.

Eventually we had to compromise as we approached one of the shops that would sell heavier coats and bought for ourselves a pair.

Mya looked victorious, while I had to shake my head at her adorable stubbornness at trying to be this independent despite the fact I could afford a walk in the cool weather.

It was while we were browsing that I finally got a glimpse of something I didn't have the chance to see until now. How the money was being managed in the kingdom.

Since the Saxons failed to subjugate the city, and their culture didn't impose any new coinage, the Roman 'leftover' used to be the standard currency.

Considering how inefficient the coins were in the past, I had to change it to something a little less… problematic. And more familiar.

The Sterling was the replacement that would temporarily be used during my first years of the kingdom. If there was one thing that my cousin used to whine and rant about, was how difficult it was to change the economy of a whole 'nation'.

One couldn't just impose a new coinage and expect it to be capable of surviving centuries of changes and alterations to society.

And while it would've sounded convenient to directly rush to the modern understanding of economy from the British side of things, I knew that such a change couldn't be made without years of testing the waters and having influence over a little more than just the national economy.

Other nations, allies and not, had to be capable of withstand the full changes of the coin. There was no international market, but new money was still going to create some waves in the pond.

Which I really didn't need to cause considering how dangerous it was meddling too much with world-wide economics.

With this first stop dealt with, we went down the road that led us to the busier squares within the 'Old Ring'.

People were flocking at the shops, either to browse the products on display, or start working for those.

Children wandered either in groups, or together with their families. The sight was warming, and for a moment I felt at ease to see how much had chanced after 'so little'.

Sure, months had gone through working hard to improve these people's reality, but to be there to admire the results of this labor… I couldn't help but smile at the fact I hadn't failed. That these individuals, while far from the lifestyle I wanted them to be blessed with, were already enjoying the first steps of progress and prosperity.

…

Blinking, I slowly turned to look at Mya as the girl nudged at me for attention. A delicate smile adorning her beautiful face, and she just nodded at me.

She knew what stopped me, and she allowed me to stare a little more before I decided to resume our wandering.

Humming quietly as I nodded at the few people stopping to greet us with bows and blessings, we soon ventured far enough to see most of the busy street we had picked for this interesting day. Lancelot stared around, somewhat mesmerized by the state of the city since he had just a limited window of time every day to wander around, and most of it was spent at the barracks.

So now that he too was allowed to see the city that was now his home, I could tell that something _moved_ from within his heart. And the smile that he started to wear for the whole journey just displayed a level of positiveness that was well-beyond his usual attitude.

While this trip started and proceeded smoothly, we soon arrived to face quite the curious scene as we passed nearby a heated exchange happening in front of a smith's forge.

"This- This is ridiculous! It's just dented," The young man barked loudly, his unruly blond hair almost successfully hiding away his furious blue eyes.

"As you can see, the material has deteriorated. While normally the helmet's damage would be fixable if it was in better conditions, I can't work on-"

"Just fix it!"

Standing near to the pissed guy, a young woman with similar attributes looked at the spar of words with an apprehensive look.

One thing that got me curious was the fact that the girl had two distinct bangs from the side of her head that were a pure black, in contrast to her generally blonde hair. Then I noticed the bizarre contraption that she was holding with her left hand.

Looking at the pointy end aimed at the ground, I quickly realized that it was a… lance?

The boy had a bizarre-looking sword, one that I had ignored early on because it looked broken at first sight… but then I realized that a faint blue light kept the pieces of the blade together.

"Once again, the piece is in bad conditions as materials. I can't work on it. So you either pay for a full restoration or you can both leave me be because I'm not willing to work for some bratty kid with a temper issue."

Gritting his teeth, the young man slowly reached for the hilt of his sword and- _he stopped as soon as I started to squeeze hard at his arm._

He tensed up as he realized about the sudden intrusion, but before he could speak up about it, I turned to the smith and sighed.

"The restoration bill shall be taken on by my coffers. You may ask for Altuos, he will help you with the procedure," I curtly addressed, ignoring the sudden panic going through the man for a little while. "I will take this scoundrel off your property."

The owner of the shop merely nodded, his mind having some trouble digesting what was going on.

I pulled the blond away from the scene, prompting his sister, or whoever the girl was, to follow my steps. Mya rushed close with Lancelot keeping a wary look on both lookalikes.

This little diversion lasted until we arrived at a mostly empty area of the city, with my arm lessening and dropping the grasp it had over the unruly idiot's arm.

"H-How dare you-"

"How dare I?" I asked coldly. "How dare you attempt to attack someone because you can't afford a service?"

His fury went still for a moment, surprise replacing anger for just a moment… then he looked even more incensed than before.

"He was trying to trick me."

"On what basis? The helmet is in a bad shape for its material."

"S-Sir, my brother wasn't trying to-"

"Stay out of this, Gareth," The guy interjected poor 'Gareth' as she tried to instill in him some common sense. A pity he was too emotional about this situation, or else he would've noticed the look of recognition the girl had while looking at me. She knew who I was, but it was clear her brother didn't. "This jerk thinks he can just come in and make these insulting comments at me."

I frowned, and I was almost pitying the young woman as she paled in fright at the stupidity that was coming out of her sibling's mouth.

"This 'jerk' can easily whoop your butt, young man. I hope you're thinking instead of-"

I stopped, my eyes widening as he saw him reach for his sword again. The sad thing about that move was that he wasn't accustomed to bringing his sword out, or he was underestimating my own speed.

The sad thing about sword fights was when your opponent was a little too close for your liking, as he didn't need to pull out his own weapon to engage you in a fight.

The blond learned about this the hard way as a punch slammed onto his left cheek. The hit wasn't given at full power, but it was strong enough to make him recoil and trip on the ground, his hands ditching their previous effort to bring out the blade to nurse the hurt area.

"Y-You-"

"Your name," I demanded, unsheathing my sword and aiming it at his jugular. "What is your name."

I was ordering him to speak, to reveal his identity despite the lack of familiarity. I could taste the stint of humiliation exuding from his eyes, but instead of holding quiet, he decided to speak.

"G-Gaheris."

I blinked. "Gaheris, why were you attacking a citizen of Londinium when he was speaking the truth?"

…

"I asked you a question. And I have you at my mercy-"

"I- I thought he was lying. We- Gareth and I have met people like that."

I nodded. "And how did you know he was lying?"

…

"I'm sorry."

"No, you're sorry for failing to avoid this situation," I calmly remarked. "The things you should be sorry about are that you decided to act on prejudice and anger, and that you failed to listen to your sister's warning. Gareth? Can you please enlighten your brother?"

The blonde blushed a little at being addressed in such a manner, especially from someone of my stature. It took her a few seconds to properly recompose herself, and soon she spoke up.

"Y-yes. Brother, you… you are currently looking at King Joseph."

…

…

"O-Oh?"

"Yep 'oh'," I muttered dryly. "Please, stand up at once."

He moved incredibly quickly as soon as I put my sword back in its scabbard.

"Y-Your majesty, I wasn't- I didn't mean to-"

"You will apologize to the smith. He deserves at least that after being threatened by your blade."

He nodded, his face paling even more as the realization kept on striking him down.

I was ready to leave these two be, feeling that I was growing too annoyed with that part of the day and that I had been away from Mya's side for too long, but before I could walk away with a quick 'farewell' I was stopped by the blonde as she approached me.

"Y-Your highness, I know that my brother's actions might have created a dreadful first impression..." The young woman started. "But I wish to request your attention regarding our interest to pledge our honor as your knights."

…

I blinked. "Excuse me, but are you asking me to hire you after that little stunt?"

Gareth looked a little more nervous at that question.

"If I say 'yes', will you at least consider the offer?"

I blinked again, but this time I didn't reply. Like, I was having some trouble holding back a smile as she looked really adorable with that desperate look. Kind of like a little puppy trying to 'apologize' to their owner.

_Truly a dangerous weapon!_

Still, I couldn't exactly accept that kind of move. What kind of person would I be looked as if I just ignored that prick's foolish attempt to-

My mind stopped thinking as soon as a certain white-haired lady got back to my side, hugging my arm again, Mya looked sympathetic at the blonde.

"How about we discuss this at lunch?" She proposed kindly. "I believe it's time to visit the Soup Kitchens anyway."

Looking at her, I felt my stare growing softer. I suppose I could see what to do with these two if she felt they could be 'studied' some more.

"I guess we could do that," I agreed, turning to look at the surprised Gareth. "If it isn't any problem for you and your brother-"

"It's not," The blonde replied quickly, bowing at the two of us. "Thank you for your kindness, my lady:"

Myasviel giggled at the energetic response, and soon we were all moving towards the Soup Kitchens.

_**Meanwhile Lancelot stared at the scene with a mixed reaction. He could tell that something about these two was… odd.**_

* * *

Just as Felicianus had reported, the Soup Kitchens were kept very neat and well-ordered as elders and poor people were allowed to take seats together within the various tables within the large room assigned as property of the Church.

We were offered a couple of spots distant from the rest of the people after I was done checking and asking to somehow they were faring. Some jokes happened, with a couple of elders 'lamenting' that their soups would always be a little too hot to handle.

Once we were all seated, I decided to be the one to start the conversation as we waited for our plates to be delivered.

"So you two have just started as Knights," I pointed out as I resumed the little introduction Gareth decided to offer up before we arrived at our destination. "You have yet to go through any experience that would cement your work."

"That's… correct," Gaheris mentioned, looking more subdued that way earlier. Maybe the shock was still settling in his mind, and he wasn't showing his usual self before 'royalty'.

"But we're both ready to tackle any challenge, your majesty," The blonde vouched with some determination. "My brother and I have trained intensely, working ourselves to the point where we can take on all trouble sent our way."

I nodded. "You sound rather convinced. But how do I know that this is indeed the truth?"

"Well, we- I… Uh..." As quickly as Gareth looked ready to deal with this conversation, the girl deflated before the genuine question.

While I had all reasons to hire them after realizing that they were two members of the original Round Table, I knew that I couldn't exactly accept them without 'being coherent' with my meritocratic system of taking in acceptable talents.

Of the knights I could remember from the Round Table, Gareth and Gaheris were those that I knew the least of.

Gareth was a complicated individual to trace back through my knowledge. The versions that existed of 'him' that I knew of well mistook her 'origins'.

She wasn't a kitchen 'girl' that ended up working for Sir Kay, nor was she fighting her way through tourneys to be knighted as she was stuck with her brother in this curious twist of fate.

Gaheris was even worse since his legend was mixed with Gawain. Many writers tended up 'fuse' the two characters, considering them the same person considering their similar disposition and parentage.

..._Gah, this is a nightmare. Why did this have to happen while I was busy with Mya!_

Despite this unexpected bump on the road, Mia looked particularly distracted as she listened to the siblings' tale.

"Why don't we ask Lancelot for his opinion? Surely he can tell if they are worthy of the position or not."

And thus everyone looked at the currently quiet knight.

Lancelot stared back, looking both awkward and uneasy as he addressed the matter.

"Your highness… I'm sure you can tell that there is a more pressing problem than their potential."

I frowned. "A problem?"

The man sighed, turning his sight on the two confused siblings.

"Blond hair, their eyes are a mix of blue and green. These features are the same as Morgan Le Fay."

Blinking, I saw the two pseudo-knights tense up at the mention of that name. While Gareth was mostly nervous, her brother looked absolutely livid.

"I-I don't want to hear that name."

"Why?" I asked quickly, drawing his stare back at me. His anger faltered as he swiftly remembered what happened less than an hour earlier.

…

"Gaheris, Lancelot has just expressed a solid point. Your mother… she is not a good person. She threatened me more than once-"

"We aren't like her," The young man snapped. "She tried to- she tried to sell off Gareth when she refused to fight for her and-"

"Gaheris-" The blonde tried to intercede, only for her brother to appear angrier.

"I can't just ignore what she tried to do. She wanted you to be turned in a breeding tool all because you didn't want to go along with her stupid plots."

That was actually something I could see Morgan do… but hadn't thought she could've really gone through already.

"Are there siblings of yours that have been facing that worry too?" I asked tensely, Gaheris sparing me a sad look before shaking his head.

"Gareth is the only daughter," The young man admitted. "Agravain joined forces with King Arthur, Gawain left the isles for a pilgrimage, and we are here right now."

Morgan had yet to try and produce Mordred? I would've expected her to have conceived the future slayer.

I would've wanted to ask but… I didn't have much to defend myself if they pushed back at my strange questioning.

Instead, I decided to shift my attention elsewhere.

"You two have some interesting weapons. May you tell me their names?"

Gareth nodded, answering first.

"My lance is Ira Lupus," The girl said, leaving her brother to sigh before addressing his sword.

"My blade is Galuth. It was once a copy of a stronger blade."

I nodded, recognizing the last blade since it was another name for Galatine, one of the swords that Ria should've used… yet she got only Caliburn before we fought against her older sister.

Could it be another case of 'fusion'?

With the situation mostly defused, I was glad to see a couple of workers arrive to deliver our meal. While many would've scrunch their noses at the sight of warm meat broth, I couldn't help but grow enticed by the endearing smell.

_It's a warm meal too, and that works so well with the current season._

For a moment, I thought back at those times when I was a kid and I ended up sick. Good ol' mom would force me to eat this kind of dish despite my interest for tastier stuff.

But now, considering the circumstances, this was actually delicious. And it reminded me for once how much I had grown 'grateful' of what I had around.

It could've been worse. Far more worse and horrible.

This couldn't have existed, and people would've still lived as badly as they had when I started my reign.

Illnesses were now monitored, studied, and worked to be defeated if it was possible by the current state of medicine.

Food was more available than before, and families weren't risking to die by hunger.

Everyone was getting happier, everyone was 'living the dream' compared to less lucky individuals out of my domains.

I knew Ria was doing her best, but she was inexperienced from what I could tell. Her mentality was born from her teachers, which were Sir Kay and… that flowery bastard.

I didn't know Sir Kay on a personal level, but if Merlin was somehow involved, I knew something was indeed wrong with the organization.

As I sighed about it, my attention was redirected away from the thoughts and back to reality as I saw Gareth… panicking.

Her face was a little bit read and her mouth was slightly open to show her burning tongue.

"Did you really forget to blow over the bites?" I quietly asked, looking more surprised than else.

Mya giggled loudly, almost choking on her own food because of it, while Gaheris looked awkward about it.

Lancelot, now satisfied with the response of the duo, merely addressed the sight with a polite smile, trying to hold back a bigger reaction in a sign of respect to the girl.

The blonde took a moment to recover from the slight burn, but she actually ended up replying to my query.

"It's just… it's better than anything we had until now!"

The response, despite being coated in genuine happiness, reached my mind with a hint of melancholy.

_Did Morgan even treat her children right? Was there someone that she actually cared for enough to show affection? Or is she monstrous enough to have abandoned any hints of humanity?_

With those thoughts, I allowed myself to enjoy this bit of the date some more.

Despite the intrusion of these two knights which I was now contemplating to hire, the day was still going well for Mya and I.

_**But then again, the day was still long, and things could still happen. Things that could make for some troublesome issues to deal with…**_

* * *

**AN**

**Puppy Gi- I mean, Gareth is here! Seriously, I want to headpat that cute and loyal kohai!**

**Gaheris is… a little problematic. And I mean on a writing level since I'm going for a blind approach. There's little known about his Fate version, but I can tell that he kept some 'emotional' approach over his duty since he was one of the few knights that defied the Lion King's rule during the Camelot Singularity.**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Phelipebr****: Maybe.**

**ItzREDOne****: It's also true that he is now in a time period where pre-marital sex is worth some serious condemnation and death warrants. The church is still strong at the time… plus not everyone has their minds stuck in their guts.**

**Halo****: Jojo would have a serious discussion with Kerry, play with his granddaughter (Iri) and Great-granddaughter (Illya) while also destroying the Grail War with Style.**

**Giuseppe****: The answer was the two knights- by the way, the Einzbern are not still a united family. They are still scattered as 'tools of war' by many tribes in modern Germany/Benelux.**

**Guest (Chapter 17)****: By the end of the story? Yep.**

**Ace980****: I believe most of the talks are about non-canon/crackish Omakes that exists only for the sake of having King Jojo meet other Servants.**

**Guest 2 (Chapter 17)****: I believe the new sword will be close to EA, but that's because it's two Noble Phantasm of good quality united as one.**


	19. JoJo & Ria 1: Countryside Joyride

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**F/SN, F/Z, F/KPI and other products related to the Fate Series are all owned by TYPE-MOON, Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**JoJo & Ria 1****: Countryside Joyride**

* * *

"Jojo, this is not what I was thinking when you suggested 'jesting around'," Ria commented tensely as we happily scoured the countryside sharing the same stead. The girl was tense and particularly frustrated as she reigned the horse to keep gallop aimlessly as I happily enjoyed hugging her from behind.

It was so rare to be spared from our duties as Kings, and this was the best opportunity we could get to be the bestest of friends. And what kind of sillyhead could I be if I didn't create a form of struggle to push us even closer?

"Sorry?"

"Don't… not until we're away from them and I can properly scold you."

Now, imagine the brilliant idea that I came up with. Me, her, and lots of angry knights giving chase to us after we had thoroughly pissed off half a Petty Kingdom. Our identities surprisingly held despite the fact we had just changed hairstyles and clothes.

With Ria having adopted a more feminine look by letting her hair run free, I decided to pull my hair back and tie the small exceeding bit in a ponytail. Since hairdressers weren't a thing, I really had my hair reaching my shoulders. Truly an interesting development considering how I would usually keep them short for convenience.

The girl had then decided to pick something from her earlier days, before she became a king. A dull light-gray shirt that was as bland as it could be, a pair of dark-blue pants and a set of dark boots. I had kept modest, deciding to go for a sleeveless blue shirt, a pair of gray shorts and light-brown boots.

Compared to our 'usual selves', the secret identities we had created were rather… different. Not enough for people that knew us to not get that we were… well, us- but still enough to fool silly tyrants that hadn't known about our real faces.

So when I learned that one of the neighboring fiefs was taxing heavily the poor peasants that could hardly sustain their family in these atrocious times, I decided to call in Ria with a mission of justice at heart… but eternal childishness in my soul to push for the most infuriating way to defeat our current enemy.

Ruining the dipshit's reputation was quite important in my plans, and thus I decided to strike where he would feel the reputation-ruining the most. His own castle-town.

Ria was blissfully unaware of the horrible ordeal she was running into all because of my devious idea, but she seemed to take without hesitation the fact that 'jesting around' meant starting a brawl and brilliantly start insulting the retinue of the petty monarch we were trying to disrespect. At first I doubted the girl would've managed to swear at them… but I found that very experience rather enlightening.

Not only I learned that the blonde was well capable of saying bad words, but I learned some that I didn't know about. Either those were common in this time period, or Ria just had a natural affinity in being a potty-mouthed trash-talker.

So after making sure we had all of them pissed and running at us, the only thing that remained was to bail on them before they could've overwhelmed us. The horse we stole neighed, either protesting the unpleasant amount of weight it had to bear with or because we had been chased around for almost an hour now.

The poor thing sure looked tired and ready to drop dead anytime now.

"Jo- _Jojo_, stop monologuing. We need a way out!"

"Yeah well… how about we go there-" I said while aiming at the large patch of forest we were approaching "And then we…"

I whispered the rest of my glorious plan to her. Soon her eyes were narrowing at the forest, and yet I could feel that her glare wasn't aimed at the innocent form of nature. I had the distinct feeling she was, for some inexplicable reason, pissed at me too. And what a tragedy it would be for this first of many lovely trips to enjoy the world as the closest of friends!

"You take the fall," She ultimately muttered, the horse picking up the pace once again, possibly realizing that we were close to be 'done' with that mad run through the English landscape. Once we entered the woods, I had just enough time to grasp back at Ria as the girl turned around to wrap herself onto my chest.

As quickly as the noble stead turned to the left and hid us from the eyes of our pursuers, I jumped off the animal and dived for the nearby sections of bushes on my back. There was pain, but there was relative peace as we both waited out for the knights to split to try and intercept us beyond that forest, never realizing the trickery that had just happened.

…

…

"Ria, that was awesome!" I exclaimed, promptly seeing her head rise from my chest with the most furious glare she could muster. "Don't be this annoyed. I could tell you were cracking a smile during the first bit of the chase."

"Maybe because I thought you meant you had a bow and arrows when you mentioned you had something to handle our chasers!" The young woman lamented. "Yet you brought only some rocks and a silly slingshot that broke after two uses."

I huffed. "The shopkeeper that sold me this said that many kings of old used this, so I thought it would've worked."

"And you trusted a merchant on this? Did you even inform yourself if he was trustworthy before purchasing anything from him?"

"He… he had this reputation of being a fraud, maybe it has to do something to why he was so keen to sell stuff at low prices- But these accusations had no foundation. It was all words and no-"

Ria rested her chin on my chest, her eyes fixed on my face like a lion contemplating to commit a murder.

"And how is Ginny going?"

"Don't change the argument," The blonde accused. "Guinevere is doing well. She has been asking rather insistently for a proper visit to Londinium."

I hummed. "Mia had asked me to invite you all but… I thought you were busy with the whole 'trying to make the marriage work'."

"We're doing… well," She tried to rebuff, only for my intense staring getting her to look away. "I think so-"

"I don't think you're not doing anything, just that… you haven't thought of something poor Ginny might be suffering. And that is romantic affection."

"We hold hands," The blonde pointed out.

"And perhaps she head pats you when you're sad-"

"Y-You're diverting my attention away from the real issue here," Ria snapped. "What we were doing was dangerous."

"Considering how big of an impact that stunt got, I believe a little danger thrown our way was to be expected-"

"Not when we both should've been prepared to handle it and more."

"Didn't we elude the knights?" I pointed out with a frown

"But we came close to get caught," She rebuffed with a sigh. "I know we did good since that petty king is going to lose face when his retainers learn of his failure to deal with two 'unknown' individuals insulting him and his people. But we also came close to suffering because of it."

…

"Sorry?"

"I don't think I will accept an apology like that… I believe..." The girl started to think about it and then nodded with a convinced nod. "You will give me a head pat."

…

"What?"

"A head pat. And make a proper one at that," She demanded sternly. "Or else I'm going to tell Mia that you stole from a child-"

"I did no such thing-"

"But wouldn't she believe it if I also say what happened today? You were, by all definitions, a troublemaker on this occasion."

…

It wasn't like I was having any trouble giving her some head patting, but at the same time I felt that giving in like that would make me the weaker ling in this duo. And that I wasn't really happy about.

Still, I had to concede and take the 'humiliating defeat'. With my hands reaching for her face, Ria looked confused as I had both palms so close to her. Her confusion melted away the moment I 'assaulted' her with a classic head pat… and some chin-scratching.

Eyes closing instinctively upon my touch, the blonde seemed to abandon herself to my touching as this entire scene lasted for twenty minutes or so.

Despite her reluctant acceptance in continuing with our adventures, one thing was imposed on me to give her some incentive to go ahead with this insane idea of mine. Once we would be done with our little troublemaking, she would get to decide a reward for me to give to her, may it be head-patting or something of the same degree.

_**With that condition being agreed on, I couldn't help but feel like I had enabled Ria into more activities for the next future. And at the same time, I wondered what kind of 'other rewards' she was aiming for with that new rule…**_

* * *

**AN**

**Next chapter will be released tomorrow!**

**This is just a taste of the idea I've brought a while ago. Ria and Jojo's Chaotic Adventures!**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Orion399****: Maybe the World is actually willing this timeline to happen?**

**HarmonyDST05****: I believe he will first have to go through the Brawler, Rush, and Beast Style. That could be his Legend Style.**

**Middernacht****: Mordred will be a particular case. I can say that only a 'minimal' change in her birth will make things really complicated… for Jojo and Ria.**

**Thomas Knightshade****: For now it's wholesome, I have yet to decide if it is friendly or romantic in nature.**

**Rinalasha****: I believe you're confusing 'main characters' with pairings. Pairings are when there are brackets between two or more characters' names.**

**Dilangp1999****: Would the map app actually work tho in that time period?**


	20. The Pup and the Unruly (2)

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**F/SN, F/Z, F/KPI and other products related to the Fate Series are all owned by TYPE-MOON, Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 18****: The Pup and the Unruly (2)**

* * *

Once we were done at the Soup Kitchens, the next stop was the castle. With the twins still walking with us, I found myself thoughtful over two specific matters that I had been ignoring to bring up in a conversation lest ruining my date with Mya.

It wasn't like I expected those topics to actually sour things too much, but rather make for a poor first impression to make on these two new knights in an effort to get through these worries of mine. While I knew the two blonds were far from malicious in their intents, with Gaheris being more of a teen going through puberty and being an angst-driven jerk at times, I was well unnerved by the possibility that if they confirmed their pledge to my rule, I was going to give Morgan another reason to come and visit again.

While I had made plenty of upgrades around the castle through the help of Scathach and Altuos to deal with any sudden invasion from the witch, I really didn't want to face the terrible woman anytime soon. And by soon, I was referring to 'ever'.

Still, despite my worries in maintaining a form of balance in this dual interaction, I still decided to trouble myself with one of the two subjects I was really concerned about. One that I knew wasn't going to get any terrible reaction out of the two if I was careful enough with my words.

"From what I understand you've been on the run since you were given the chance to wander around far from Lot's castle," I muttered with a calm tone. "I assume it was quite limiting before that."

"It was," Gareth admitted with just a hint of nervousness in her voice. "But… we managed. Mother wasn't that focused on us, at least not as much as she had been with Agravain and Gawain-"

"Don't mention him," Her brother interjected fiercely. "He… He is no brother of ours."

I frowned, glancing at Gaheris with a confused look.

"Are you referring to Agravain?"

"No," The young man quickly replied, his stare moving away from me as if having some trouble keeping it while talking about this very topic. "Gawain is… is not our brother."

Wasn't he?

"I'm sure he didn't mean it. He would've gotten us out too if he could have at the time," His sister remarked, getting a growl out of the blond.

"Sure, and then he would've led us to the mystical land that does not exist."

I stared at the two with an interested look, trying to make sense of the whole situation since I didn't have much background on these siblings before the tales of their glorious deeds. I knew that they were all born from the union of Morgan with King Lot, but I didn't know how the situation in their home was before they left to ally with Arthur.

Most of the sources would confirm Gawain as a warrior that ended up traveling to Jerusalem in a pilgrimage before deciding to return to his homeland to join Arthur's cause. Some even went as far as saying that at the time he was back home he had gone through a couple of wars in the Middle East and Continental Europe that he had been active about.

I doubted this was actually the case since that kind of voyage was quite prohibitive in terms of expenses and physical capacity to live and survive the chaotic infighting still happening in Europe, and I really couldn't see someone that wasn't born to respect or even know about Christianity to actually make a trip in Palestine for no major reason.

It would've been cool to learn more about this legendary knight and even personally meet him if he really did this kind of stuff while the isles were busy with the petty clashing of various kings, religions, and civilizations.

Pushing back that little curiosity of mine to ponder about on a later time, I decided to shift my attention on the issue at hand since I could tell Gaheris was getting close to snap because of his rising irritation about the subject. Mya was also nudging at my elbow with quite some insistence, feeling rather nervous with the two individuals getting in a heated discussion so easily.

Like, what did Gawain do to warrant this much anger from his younger siblings?

"How about you two stop discussing and getting this much attention on yourself?" I offered quietly, managing to at least get Gareth's focus away from her brother. She looked surprised at first but soon bowed her head in minor embarrassment at being called out like that. Her brother followed suit shortly after, his attention briefly turning to me before the realization of what I was hinting seemed to get him to flush in frustration on the slightly humiliating comment.

"Apologies, your highness," The blonde replied with a humble tone. "We will stop dragging attention on us like this and-"

"I don't mind you two chatting about that kind of stuff," I interrupted quietly. "I don't see any reason to stop you from doing that. Just don't get too incensed by simple words."

"Your highness, my memories are difficult to keep in check without having my ire rise because of those," Gaheris admitted with an unhappy sigh. "I will try to be more mindful and-"

"How about we try something that I know might help you two in the long term? Nothing about magic or any of that stuff, only proper conversation through a reliable judge."

…

"What?" Gareth inquired, getting Mya to giggle at that cute tone she got as she said that.

"I think Joseph is referring to me," The white-haired woman explained. "While I might not know what exactly you two are discussing, I wouldn't mind giving my own opinion if you're willing to spare me a simple explanation about what you're talking about."

…

"but why?" Gaheris asked with a more confused look, accentuated by his deepening frown. "I mean, no disrespect to you, your highness and… Lady Mya. But why is this important?"

I sighed, glancing around in an effort to clear out my mind and leave just a good explanation to that kind of snooping we were trying to pull in that instant. Sadly for me, someone else had been more than ready to answer as I came up with my own answer.

"The King is someone that values people's issues. Those problems that could potentially harm the growth of those he trusts upon, and that could possibly endanger those around them," Lancelot said with a confident voice. "While your distrust is legitimate, I too believe that keeping this kind of problem away from resolution will only harm you in the long way.

"Still, why Lady Mya? I don't have anything against her but..."

"You don't see how she could help you, don't you?"

…

I sighed. "Gareth, my fiance is someone that is more experienced in handling emotions. I'm more logical and… she is someone that cares mostly about feelings and passion itself."

The girl nodded, still looking partly confused by my reasoning but still accepting the idea despite this very issue. Gaheris took a little more to understand this, but he eventually decided to see what kind of plan I had laid out in this situation.

The lance-wielder was the first one to speak. The blonde offered an account of swift events with some extra details around the bits that could've incriminated Gawain of what was being accused about by the fellow swordsman. Her twin was a little less restrained with his version of the final events. I listened silently as he detailed how his brothers had decided to betray them by leaving them to their devices when he had the chance of escaping their mother's influence.

Gawain didn't seem to have ever mentioned this interest, and thus the possibility of this being a betrayal of sorts stuck around the mind of Gaheris. The young man was angry, frustrated, and potentially in serious need of some sleeping from the dark bags under his eyes. While his story did make it seem like their old brother had decided to leave them despite his clear affections for them, combining both versions of the tale offered a better understanding of that very instance.

It was easy for me to understand where the real problem was, instead allowing Myasviel to raise her own points on the matter since she was the one that was meant to dodge.

"I think your brother didn't leave you two because you were a burden in his eyes. I think from the way you described him sounded like a nice person. One that would do his best to protect that part of the family he considered worthy of that kind of love, and to never leave those he cares about without a good enough reason." Mya spoke up with a convinced tone. "In fact, I believe there has to be more to the story. Maybe a bit you two don't didn't know about."

"A… A bit? You mean like… a motivation that could've forbidden Gawain to take us with him?"

"You also said he was rather strong. Enough for your _mother_ to buy him nice armors, swords and other good tools used in fights. Since she favored him, maybe he thought that you would've been hurt if he had tried to take you two with him."

"But why? Why would he worry about something about that?" Gaheris pressed with some insistence in his voice. "Gareth and I are strong enough at the time to help him against any enemy-"

"Even your mother?" I quipped suddenly, getting both to freeze up at the unexpected question.

"Mother-"

"As I've said, if she favors him, then she would've actively hunted him and… she would've tried to use you two as means to make him easier to capture," Mya resumed her explanation as politely as she could. "Until you ask him, I don't anyone else will provide you the truth… unless as a way to prank you or trick you into doing horrible stuff for nothing."

…

"We're not that gullible," Gaheris rebuffed, but I knew he was lying from how long it took him to answer that chance.

Mya held back a giggle, and I merely smiled as Gareth huffed at her brother.

"Why did you wait that long to answer? You're giving them the wrong impression."

"I- but how? I just answered and-"

"You were speaking up much slower than you usually would with other topics," I flatly interrupted. "I believe that is more than enough to give any silly impression of yourself."

The still distracted young man frowned with an even more perplexed look than before, still he couldn't help but nod at that awkward mistake of his. Gareth had to hold herself from giggling at her brother's mistake, but she managed pretty well in doing so. Soon we were walking inside the castle through the main gates, right where someone had been waiting around for us to return for a couple of hours now.

A bored Marcus had decided to wait at the gates of the castle for our return, giving me the chance to address him about my plans with the young blond man with him. Confusion turned in minor annoyance as he realized what I was talking about, yet he still seemed to grasp well enough that 1) Marcus was experienced and worthy to study under and 2) realizing that it was easy to remember where we were despite how everything was for both.

With Lancelot taking his leave with young Gareth to help her find where her living quarters were now that she had accepted training and be a knight under me, Mya and I were finally spared some proper time alone while we arrived at our garden. The young woman was smiling eye-to-eye, both because she was glad of the help she was capable of offering and… because now we were free from giving a try to the last bit of our date.

_**And with the tune of a slow dance softly buzzing from my phone, I made the greatest effort to not step onto her feet… but also hold myself from overreacting at her own mistakes. She giggled each moment she realized she had messed up, making my irritation falter and vanish at the melodious notes of her explanations.**_

* * *

"Did you think Marcus will be able to handle someone like Gaheris?"

I sighed at Mya's question, feeling rather drained by the chances of dealing with the young man again since my current interest was aimed at our slow and quiet efforts to master how proper dance was supposed to unfold, with me enjoying the rest of the day with the hopes of not drawing too much attention to ourselves about it.

No trouble had raised up to our attention, but the young woman was still legitimately taken by the tales of the two twins. Both looked to have gone through some rough experiences, and I could tell Mya found their story compelling since it reminded her of how her life was before I freed her. At first I didn't think this correlation went that far, but as I thought about what was really happening inside her head, the young woman happily revealed the truth.

I was stomped by the seriousness she made use of in that brief conversation, but I was quick to accept her reasoning as those didn't lack a logical foundation to be. In fact, it was one of the most solid and most coherent thoughts she could've provided about any reason why she was interested in the two young knight's plight.

It would be a lie to say I wasn't invested in their past too, but my reasons easily faded before the ones that Mya had to fuel her curiosity and good-willed interest in helping these two. So, instead of either ignoring or giving the topic too little interest in an effort to keep the attention lingering at our current activity together, I decided to give her a truthful answer.

"Maybe. Marcus had dealt with tougher people… so I believe it's more up to Gaheris than the Commander," I confessed, soon humming for a while as I finished massaging my feet as we prepared to go through our umpteenth dance session. The surprise created by my phone's function to reproduce music fading away the more the woman grew accustomed to the simple device. Three hours had been wasted in that endeavor, and while I was pretty sure we were both growing tired with every new effort, I could tell we were both improving from those.

It was a slow process, one that I knew would take a couple of months to get down to before we could easily say we could dance properly to the classic music I had on my phone, but it wasn't completely crappy as I would've imagined it being before our first attempt together. Mya was nimbler than I had thought her be, and I was less stiff with my own moves than I would've imagined myself being.

We were both good enough to make a good scene if we wanted, but I was rather nervous of dancing with others looking at us, and I could tell the girl too wasn't up to deal with that kind of attention just yet. Something of a good news… but one that swiftly prompted the young woman to ask for more training to get this 'easier to go through'.

Eventually the dance training dragged a little closer to dinnertime. It was still pretty far for us to be compelled to go, but the disposition we ended up taking as we both stopped dancing was quite unexpected and… adorable.

Resting her head on my lap, a cute yawn left her lips as she happily enjoyed having her hair softly played with while my left hand quietly cupped her left cheek with a caring touch. It wasn't the first time we ended up in that position, but I felt a sense of completion to see her like this for today. I knew that the reason she looked so happy despite her tired attitude was because I had managed to give her the day she wanted to spend with me.

It was different in some aspects from what I had initially planned it out to be, mostly with the arrival of both Gareth and Gaheris, but it was still easy to manage as we went through our planned stops without much of an issue with these unexpected developments. In fact, I was willing to say that these unplanned additions only heightened the uniqueness of the day of a couple of touches, giving us both something to handle together as a team rather than being restrained to the usual couple-related activities.

Soon Mya allowed a pleased sigh to leave her mouth as she enjoyed her little treatment, a mirthful smile adorning her gorgeous visage as we both enjoyed the surprising warmth of today's sun. Usually the sunlight wouldn't have been strong enough to bring any noticeable warmth, yet for some reason today it just felt warmer than usual. Thus basking under its rays left us happier as we went through the last few topics we were going to talk about before going to eat dinner.

"Can I ask you a rather silly question, Joseph?"

…

I blinked, glancing down at Mya's curious red eyes for a little while before giving her a silent nod. She hummed, thinking about her query for a moment before finally speaking up once again.

"Would you prefer a son or a daughter?"

…

Blinking again, I took a moment to actually think at the incredibly big question the young woman has given me to try and solve. Sure, I had been thinking of this for a long time now, starting from the moment when I began thinking how things were going to be after the marriage.

After consuming the first night together, the next step was the production of a healthy heir for me to be able to pass upon my legacy onto. By logical thinking, a son would be the most ideal decision among the available picks. Not only we would've avoided being pressured too much by others about extending the dynasty, but it would also be an interesting experience that I wasn't nervous to actually make with my soon-to-be wife.

Still, I wasn't going to say no to a daughter. I've long learned to accept the chances of the classic family's predisposition of having a firstborn son and a second-born daughter being disrupted one way or another… but I wouldn't exactly mind having to love a mini-Mya in a couple of years from now.

I could already imagine the giggling echoing across the castle's halls as I would be always giving chase to a cheeky white-haired child that had gone and made some trouble worthy of some running around home. And the mere mental picture was enough to make the choice stand up strongly against the 'son' decision. Enough to make the two stuck in a tie in my head.

…

"I guess I don't have a legitimate preference. I would love to have a little son to teach to, but I would be the happiest if it was a little Mya running around and wreaking havoc in Londinium."

The young woman giggled at the latter half of the response, giving an agreeing nod at my answer.

"I can see both being fun options, but perhaps we could give it a try and see if we can have both a son and a daughter," She suggested with a fascinated tone. "I think it would be nice if they had someone else to trust on. A sibling to rely on."

I was surprised by such a comment, but I found the whole concept not that odd to believe into. Still, I decided to tackle the comment with a mirthful thought of mine.

"Maybe you should first see how you handle your first pregnancy. And that is a tough experience as it is before going for a second one."

She huffed. "I will manage."

I was sure she would have, but I knew that the last months were going to be a nightmare since her behavior was going to be intensified to an unpleasant notch. There was nothing wrong in that and I wasn't going to blame her to be a little moody during that kind of time period, but I sure wasn't going to have an easy life about it for sure.

"And I will have you to stand beside me," Mya also added. "So I believe it even more."

…

I sighed, slowly leaning down and planting a kiss on her forehead.

"Aren't you being a flatterer today, my dear?" I inquired softly, drawing a happy sigh out of her as she enjoyed the closeness we had right now. I turned to give her my right cheek, nuzzling back at her as we happily went through that silent cuddling in relative peace. This was going to be one of the many loving moments we would share before I would have to leave to deal with the problems in the north.

I knew Ria would be taking a more active stance once she was done with her marital business, and I was sure she was going to ask for my support just like we had established through our letters. Morgan needed to be stopped, and the faster that happened, the lesser the chances of more treacheries where to unfold in our respective courts.

But for now I enjoyed the moment, savoring my moment of bliss with my beloved as I prepared for a long day tomorrow now that I had two new individuals to take case of. Gareth looked to be reliable enough to leave in Lancelot's care, while her brother was still too stubborn to be moved away from the rough and blunt training style I knew Marcus being capable of.

While I knew the commander had little to teach to the young man in terms of fighting, I wanted the older man to be educating the blond about moral conduct and the duties of being a proper knight in a well-established court. And hopefully, he was going to stop being driven by his temper in making poor decisions that could either threaten his own well-being or the one of those around him.

After spending another hour together with Mya, we both started to make our way back to the dining room where much had to be discussed about tomorrow's affairs. With the two of us looking rather radiant, Altuos decided to take some sweet revenge at his busy day with triple the usual paperwork he was accustomed to by bringing up this very topic.

At first it didn't do much to us since we had both grown accustomed to this kind of comments… but then he brought up the endless possibilities of how our children were going to look like, and our minds decided to betray us by bringing up some endearing combination of any of our future sons and daughters. Our faces were quick to turn beet red as the chuckles coming from the elder domineered over the dinner for almost half an hour.

Still, with the pleasant developments making this day the best in a long time, I felt the need to think and prepare as I knew this wasn't meant to last. Something just felt like things weren't going to keep up this good, especially with how tense the situation with the petty kingdoms was slowly turning into.

I needed to make plans and prepare for the inevitable and, perhaps, it was time to stake some claims and remove some of the 'pillow nations' that existed between Londinium and the Lothians.

_**Maybe Morgan wasn't looking at us while I tried to accomplish the extremely delicate task of doing so, that is…**_

* * *

**AN**

**Some more discussions about Gareth and Gaheris when they were still bound to Morgan, some dancing, and finally some serious thoughts about the future.**

**...I'm really tired right now. Like, I've been yawning a lot and losing grasp over the text for a little while now. I would've written a little more, but I thought about the chances of messing the chapter too much by doing that.**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**LordTom****: What are the chances of Speedwagon being actually a Pendragon?**

**Blackpan26****: Maybe after I'm done with the main story.**

**HarmonyDST05****: I believe it will happen when Mordred happen and… it's going to be stupidly hilarious.**

**Sultan Asil Arslan****: Mentioned this twice in the last few chapters. The marriage had to happen since it was the easier way Ria had to stabilize her kingdom and bring more legitimacy to it.**

**Cobalt Conrad****: Not my fault I've numerous stories running at once. I can't exactly update faster with how many I have to give attention to.**

**Clutchvm****: Who knows, maybe it will end that way.**

**RadioPoisoning****: I believe that the Takeuchi rule is the one to go by in this occasion. If the character is cute and has potential to be a waifu, then it shall be a saberface.**


	21. The Pup and the Unruly (3)

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**F/SN, F/Z, F/KPI and other products related to the Fate Series are all owned by TYPE-MOON, Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 19****: The Pup and the Unruly (3)**

* * *

I knew that the date had really gone for the best when I woke up to a well-placed kiss from the lips from a certain young woman. Mya's mood was brilliant despite how early in the morning it was.

I was relieved that my hard work had been well-received, and I was given further confirmation of this when I saw her happily spend her time talking with guards and other courtiers around. I knew she was trying to make an effort to entertain herself as I went through the first batch of papers, being quite sure myself that she had planned to check on me just before lunchtime.

Having a lot to unravel after yesterday, I decided to start the usual signing session by dealing with my new knights. Both were easy to register as part of the Kingdom, the only limitation being that I would've to find them later that day to have them sign the documents that confirmed their legitimate connection to my fief, while also bringing them the proper cloaks and uniforms to wear from now on.

Since Gareth was still young and not that developed in terms of curves, it was going to be easy for her to wear the masculine clothes… while also making sure nobody but a few knew she was actually a woman.

Testing the waters with Altuos about the matter, the man was quick to point out that one thing was being a female warrior, while another was being a female knight. The real difference lingered on the basis knighthood is bestowed to men and only men. There was no restriction to limit women to become fighters, but they shouldn't be able to become a 'chevalier' in official circumstances.

I knew she was going to accept, albeit reluctantly and unhappy on the fact that she was meant to dodge some awkward situations and be subjected to others all for the sake of keeping her gender a secret. Not something I liked, but society wasn't something that could be changed in a single stroke of laws. Social changes were gradually implemented. Some took little, some can take whole centuries to become firmly accepted by everyone.

And knowing how many obstacles I would have to face to implement even the simplest recognition of women's valor in roles beyond the ones of housewives and 'fair maidens' was going to take a fair lot to be implemented.

I settled down for minor probings to see if it could be done in a year for now, and maybe try to push for more in the next five. Not ideal, but at least it was progress of some sort. And definitely more than I expected to be able to do compared to the act of trying to convince the Church that killing Jews isn't justifiable through the crime of 'king-slaying' since they are 'behind' Jesus' crucifixion.

Like seriously, the current state of society had a lot more problems to be brought up, and some of which were going to be essential to reach the same degree of equality I was familiar with. There was some hope of fixing that in due time… and by 'due time' I meant hopefully the next few decades from now. And if I manage to live that long.

There were so many threats that just pushed me to evaluate a tougher foreign stance against the neighbors up above. The Lothians were already showing some troubles in keeping hold of the new territories. When the news that my people were enjoying better conditions than the ones King Lot offered to his subjects, the brief relief of being spared from the Germanic yoke was finally wiped out from their minds as riots started to intensify in the area.

With the main army still focusing on keeping some current issues by the small gap to Ireland contained, only small forces had been deployed to deal with the revolts… which meant a swift attack to conquer these lands was doable and a brilliant opportunity to exploit. And since Marcus was eager to put to work the current state of the big professional army we had under our control, I decided to make a risky move and see if I could dodge official war through an ambitious and reckless plan of mine.

Medieval times had a noble concept of war that was widespread in many cultures. The simple process war: There is a proclamation, then the battle, and ultimately the loser has to pay plots of land and money to the winner. But there was a concept that was well known in modern times that was going to sound pretty 'outrageous' in the eyes of many rulers. And that was the use of assassins, spies, and the terrifying military tactic that was false-flag operations.

While at first the concept might sound odd and not easy to connect with the entire situation, the plan was fairly simple in terms of application, and devastating if everyone went with their parts accordingly. Having secured contacts with the rebels, it was easy to get them to accept in their midst professional assassins and have them send flags, clothes bearing Lothian Coats of Arms, and other pieces of fabric that could be used to easily make a large number of men pass as some reinforcement from the north.

The chosen squad would enter through a small opening in the border and then, after making contact with the uppermost village that had sympathies with our kingdom, marched downward to close up on the distracted armies and crush them. The assassins would then attack and kill anyone trying to run or any officers living through the event, depriving any information beyond what we were going to tell the world to be heard about. And while it wasn't a big of a blow to the Picts' full military and since it was particularly slow since it would take a little more than a week to get the entire thing going and done, the act would prevent any good reason for Lot to try and see this as an illegal move and proclaim a 'right war' against Londinium.

In the public's eyes, despite what Morgan was going to make of it if she learned of the truth, the rebels won against the loyalists and were happily integrated within my kingdom. It was going to immensely piss off the big neighbor in the north but… I also knew they would have little legitimacy to declare war directly at my kingdom. They could, but then I would have an army already set to strike at various sections of the border and chase them up to modern Scotland's borders.

Even without Ria's own support, I could technically overwhelm a good part of the land owned by King Lot, but then I would also need to keep an eye out for any backstabbing attempt from the petty kingdoms in the middle of England. And that kind of security was going to need part of the army diverted onto it if I didn't want for any greedy bastards coming in and sweeping over some of the conquered land.

Despite how easy it was right now to strike at Lot, the rest of the mad ride was going to be incredibly unpleasant to handle. Especially if the man decides to ally himself with Vortigern. That was actually something that I partly feared about since… I knew that there was a lot of frightening stuff the guy was remembered as in some accounts of his existence. Most of those labeled him as a necromancer- as someone that ended up making contacts with Demons and summon other satanic creatures through magic.

Knowing Magecraft is a thing, and having learned that Demon Boars were pretty common to find in the Land of Shadows, I was legitimately worried that I was going to face a dangerous problem the moment I ended up dealing with him. Maybe I should really wait for Ria before going for a full war with Lot. Still, I was going to risk it with that plan of mine. I needed to appear legitimately concerned with my fellow man's plight if I wanted to get all that sweet rep to legitimize the kingdom even more.

Just as I mused over these grim topics, a knock by the door brought me back to reality as I turned to the origin of the sound with a frown.

"Yes?"

"_It's me._"

I smiled in minor relief, glad that now I had someone to distract me from falling once again in that kind of thoughts.

"Come in, Mya," I muttered calmly, and thus the girl entered the room and took a seat in front of me.

"Are you busy?"

"Not really, no. Today it's just simple things I can continue for tomorrow since it's not much," I admitted with a nod.

"I'm happy. That means we can spend some time together after lunch?"

"I don't see why not," I replied with a smile. "Were you thinking about some more dancing?"

Her smile widened at that reminder. She was a little surprised when she first heard classic music through my phone, but then she took a distinct liking for anything that was made by German composers. Beethoven was so far her favorite, and she loved dancing at his tunes.

"Maybe, but I was thinking about something else," Mya added with a huff. "Something… new."

"Like what? Do you have anything in specific you want to do in the afternoon?"

…

"How about we cook something?" She proposed. "Like something that isn't cakes or anything sweet. Something for one of the big meals."

"Lunch or dinner?"

The young woman took a little longer to get that answer out, and she started with a quick nod.

"I think I've an idea what we can do for dinner."

"For… dinner?" I was perplexed by the fact it was for that much later.

"How about… we try to make something from your homeland?"

I blinked. "Really?"

"Yes. I don't think you've actually tried to make something you're more accustomed to," She explained with a curious hum. "So why not try now that we have the chance?"

I didn't have anything to use against that point. To be honest, I thought about trying my hands at making something on my own but… most of the dishes I knew about were based on ingredients that I couldn't create or that weren't there to begin with. Considering Tomato is still limited in America, I could cross out standard pizzas and a good half of possible pasta variations off the list. Same for anything that required spices and other stuff beyond Europe itself.

I spent a couple of quiet minutes thinking about this very matter and I eventually decided to settle for something quite tame but still good.

"I've a good idea. But we will have to start to work on it once we're done with lunch. The preparation is quite long."

"We can do it," The girl happily accepted the challenge. "Can you tell me what it is?"

"A secret. But I can tell you it's a salt-based food, and that you will probably love it."

"Probably?" She frowned while saying that. "Of course I will love it."

…

"You don't even know what it is," I pointed out and she giggled at that.

"Well, are you going to prepare something bad?"

"No-"

"Then I know I will love it."

…

"Are you reading more of these books?"

"Yes! Can you tell?"

I nodded. "I sure can. But make sure to not get too influenced by those. Sometimes they can be wrong too."

"I know. I'm not… that silly."

That pause really got her to sell the point across, and Mya could only pout as I regarded that adorable response with an amused smile.

The rest of the morning was wasted in more words, but the topics didn't stem from anything beyond simple and unimportant. Some fun back-and-forth would ensue from time to time, but nothing that actually resulted in serious bickering. In the end, I did make good promise of what I told Mya we were going to do, and started to prepare the first step needed to get that particular dish done.

Teaching her how to handle the unique dough we needed for the food ended up taking a while, but she seemed to take quick interest in the applications of this specific compound. Eventually the resulting four small balls of dough were put inside one of the cupboards that was meant to be used to leave specific ingredients, only to be recovered later that day when I had to mold the dough and fill it with the rest of the ingredients.

_**Despite my high expectations for today's dinner, I was quickly surprised to learn from one of the guards that a certain someone decided to pay a quick visit. And I was quick to walk up to where our current guest was patiently staying by.**_

* * *

"I didn't expect to find you here now," I muttered as I took a seat beside a certain distracted teacher.

Scathach hummed quietly, her stare aimed at the small courtyard which was being used by Marcus and his newest student. Gaheris was surprisingly having a tough time trying to keep calm with the taunts used by the rowdy man, and that lessened his capacity to fight the veteran at full strength.

Instead, the blond was getting pushed left and right by the relentless attacks from the military leader, and he seemed to fail to understand why that was happening to him.

"I didn't expect you to recruit a new warrior to your court," She hummed quietly. "Gaheris, he has potential to be great."

"He sure does," I admitted calmly, looking as the boy recoiled and recovered from two kicks landing on his cheeks. "But I believe it pales a little when compared to his sister. She is currently with Lancelot."

Interest appeared within her red eyes, but the proud woman didn't inquire at first as she allowed the news to linger without answer for a little while. Then, she sighed and turned at me with a curious look.

"And why do you believe so?"

"Both siblings have the same drive to improve, but Gaheris is quite stubborn and difficult to work with if his teacher doesn't know how to handle his strong personality," I explained quietly. "I would dare to say that Gareth is someone that listens and knows how working on her mistakes is better than turning every comment into a full-fledged session of bickering."

"I would be lying if this reminds me of the past. Cu was a little less… foolish about his pride," The former queen pointed out. "He was fiery, but never too arrogant in displaying this when the situation called for seriousness."

…

"Teacher… can you tell me more about him?"

"I remember telling you to not ask me about that," She lamented quietly. "Are you a fool too?"

"At times," I confessed with extreme guilt. "But I guess that's why I'm studying under such a brilliant teacher."

Scathach sighed. "Flattery will hardly take you anywhere."

"Which is why I'm trying to stay here and ask. Moving would be tough and-" I paused, my body tensed up as the woman silently moved her arms to hand by my shoulders and… then she wrapped it around my neck to pull me closer to her.

"Right now I can strangle you and put an end to this conversation. Do you want to perish because of this?"

…

Instead of directly answering that query, I merely lifted my hands up, between her arm and my neck. Then I turned to her and smiled.

"If I don't try, then I can't exactly call myself your student, you know that, right?"

I wasn't surprised when she actually went through with her threat, I felt my arms hurting as I tried to unwrap her own away from my head. She was quite stubborn and her hold was deadly strong, and it was all with a single arm. I slowly felt my resistance falter and her arm calmly approaching my face… but then it stopped as a jolt went down her spin.

Surprise appeared on the woman's face as I had sneakily pulled one of my hands away from her 'attack' and quickly reached her belly. With her clothes still offering a close sensation to her body, I gave a quick poke on her left side, swiftly gaining a shiver out of her. It was in that moment that I caught sight of a real weakness that I hadn't noticed until now.

Scathach was ticklish… and I was in range for a full-fledged counterattack. She barely had enough time to realize what I had planned, but I was too quick and too close for her to dodge my hands as I started to tickle her mercilessly. And in that exceptional moment of pure victory, I was blessed with a pitch of voice I hadn't ever thought of hearing.

Her lovely chuckles filled the halls and she was forced to let go of my neck as I continued with my brilliant counter… that is, until the woman managed to regain some control over herself and went to punish me for doing that to her. At first I didn't notice it, but then I felt her own hands grasp at my sides and… push me to the ground.

I tried to not stay on the ground for too long, but I was surprised with her agility in moving in for the 'kill'. I groaned as she sat down on my chest and stared down at me with righteous fury plastered on her face.

"Is… Is it too late to apologize?"

"Yes. Right now, you leave me no choice… but go ahead with my plan."

"Your what?"

Her answer proved to be much more than I had expected. Leaning down her face close to mine, I was swiftly engaged in a sudden kiss as the woman pressed herself on me. Surprise was what drove me to a sense of inaction for a while, but soon I managed to push her off and look at her in shock.

"What was that?"

"A reward, but I believe it's officially a greeting between two close individuals."

"I mean- Why? You know that I'm going to marry Mya!" I remarked, getting a little angry at that sassy response.

"Oh, I'm well aware about this. But I took precautions to avoid any problems with your lady," The former queen admitted. "It wasn't easy, but she came up with a curious agreement to allow me this little chance of… relief."

"W-What?"

"One minutes spent kissing… is equal to a full hour she gets to have me around to cuddle with."

…

"I… I think I've to ask again… WHAT?!"

"No yelling," The fierce warrior commented. "Or else I might have to silence you with an unorthodox manner."

"Y-You can't be serious."

"I've been sealed off from the world for centuries, and you're my apprentice. Apologies if it wasn't clear that I might start feeling rather interested in your body," She flatly commented. "Still, I've to remind you that I will keep things rather simple and not too sinful considering the teachings of your God."

"You actually told Mya!?"

"Yes. She was annoyed at first, but then I voiced the fact I wasn't trying to steal you from her," Scathach recounted. "And then I brought up that I would've done pretty much everything for a chance at that. She seemed rather keen with the whole… cuddling process."

My jaws dropped at this. I wasn't sure if I wanted to be more shocked by the fact Mya had just gone through with that without much resistance or… because my own teacher was still aiming at me despite my own reluctance.

"I-I thought I said that-"

"You weren't going to touch me the same way you would with your wife," The former queen interrupted and concluded for me. "Which is why I've only asked for this. And why I made sure to have Mya know what is happening instead of betraying what little trust she has for me."

"I still didn't-"

"Do you want me to stop?" She asked. "Do you really want me to stop giving you leverage on myself? To be subjected to this kind of care on my part?"

"I- This isn't just right."

"By what definition is this wrong? There is no cheating, and I'm not forcing you to taint your wedding. In fact, you can see it as a preparation of sorts since kissing becomes an important part of a relationship, so it would only be proper for you to be prepared to deliver when the time is right," The woman pressed on. "Plus, you can consider this as training too. You can test your capacity to keep yourself from breathing for long times."

"I don't think that works."

"It's either that, or something Mya might find rather… distasteful."

"I will not ask," I decided, getting a nod from the teacher.

"Good, I wasn't planning to offer that very tale on my own volition."

For a moment, I felt rather glad that there was no escalation out of this. But as I regarded this situation once again, I couldn't help but realize that she was still pressing herself onto me and… she was sneakily trying to get another kiss out of it.

"W-What about me?"

"I thought we had that point solved already."

"I believe we don't," I remarked. "In fact, you just brought up some benefits but-"

"Do you want to do this, yes or not?"

…

"I… why?"

"Because why not?"

"I mean it, why?"

…

She sighed. "I guess it's because I know you will not abuse this offer. You're not someone that asks more than they are offered in this kind of thing and… I believe we can both find a greater connection as mentor and apprentice."

…

"I… I suppose- if Mya is fine with this-"

"I will take that as a yes," She interrupted again, and I sighed.

I was actually going to say yes on my own, but I suppose her nerves had to be close to explode in this intense situation. I half-expected her to go down for just a couple more kisses and then set me free…

_And then I realized how wrong I was._

"By the way, how long until it's time for dinner to be ready?"

I frowned at the unexpected query.

"I… I think an hour or so?"

Scatchach nodded, a chilling smile forming on her face.

"Good, then I guess I will have to lend my body as a pillow to your curious wife for sixty hours."

"Wha-Mffht?"

And from that moment until dinner, I was solely smooched for a solid hour. With pauses, very few of those… but still enough to not see me die by asphyxiation.

I wasn't sure how to treat this kind of circumstance but… now I had this new problem to handle. And I knew this was going to be scandalous if I wasn't able to moderate any possible leaks about this very situation.

_**Scathach didn't seem to mind, and neither was Mya as she snuggled close to her new pillow. Sleeping in the same bed soon proved to be an awkward circumstance than an adorable one.**_

* * *

**AN**

**When the cinnamon roll is so pure that she ends up winning big time against a possible rival. I swear, the whole 'Mya is the Harem Protag' theory is not canon, but she can be one if she really wanted to.**

**In a more serious tone, I've decided to finally settle for the harem or not situation: After thinking for long about this, I've decided to have a single pairing… but girls can still have some unique relationship with the MC that can go beyond friendship. None of those had to be romantic in nature, and there are a fair couple that will go platonic/family-like.**

**So yeah, it's not going to have multiple pairings, but I will pledge to make each relationship fleshed out into unique ones that are different from each other.**

**On an unrelated note: I've updated a couple of things in my FFN profile bio. Now there is a list of ongoing, on hiatus, and planned stories with all of those having the proper place where to find them.**

**Finally, to put an end to those request of knowing how Joseph looks like:**  
** -length dark-brown hair, most of the time tied in a tiny ponytail to avoid slapping his face with some strands;**  
**2\. Dark eyes with a gleam of chocolate-shade brown.**  
**3\. Slightly taller than average, but still short compared to people like Lancelot;**  
**4\. Slim figure with some toning, he is just now developing muscles after intense training;**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Sultan Asil Arslan****: I can say that Mordred will be a tomboy… but that she will have a biological change (not gender-wise/sex-wise tho, it's something a little more complicated than that, nasuverse-wise).**

**HarmonyDST05****: Considering pretty much all Saberfaces are related (with some minor exceptions being only alternate versions of the same individual), I believe one would question if said crush/gf is somehow related to them before making any moves.**

**Rambukala****: Thanks for the kind words. I'm already taking a day off from writing once in a while. I just have minor troubles when it get dark and I start to feel cozy and warm, it just trigger a need to fall asleep despite it being too early (like early afternoon/post-lunch).**


	22. Omake 1: FGO 1

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**F/SN, F/Z, F/KPI and other products related to the Fate Series are all owned by TYPE-MOON, Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Omake 1****: FGO #1**

* * *

Who would've thought that a place like this one actually existed in 'present times'.

I wasn't still sure what had happened, or why it happened, but for some reason I was now part of a literal Grand Order bent to protect humanity from various problems in the timeline. Heroes of various eras were summoned as Servants, given classes and sometimes even bestowed with unique abilities that matched with their legends if they hadn't any in their original version.

From what the twins and Da Vinci said about my case, the reason why I existed now in a younger state of my own 'legend' was because I was, by all means, a male version of Lily Servants. Of course there wasn't actually a classification like that, especially with how many other Servants that were in the same circumstance like Alexander and Kid Gil.

The closest example that could match my current state of being was Medusa as her Rider Class. I just heard of her, but still hadn't the chance of meeting her since both Masters decided to bring her around for one of the current 'events' or issues happening in this part of the year.

Since I was still not accustomed enough to take part in real fighting- the heat here was far higher than I would've imagined – I was granted the chance of enjoying some time growing accustomed to the new environment. With the fact that I was a mere copy of my real self, and the guy was protecting everything at home, I was more than eager to take on the battles that I was going to face for the sake of helping mankind.

Right now, I was quietly making my way to the cafeteria for lunch. Da Vinci had mentioned that there was a massive menu that encompassed pretty much all known human dishes, from modern times to other time periods. I was quite giddy at the prospect of checking how good the food was here, and if I could give it myself a try in making my own dishes.

I was so distracted that I barely noticed that a silent figure had decided to stalk me around the halls. I reached my destination, and it was right as I checked on the holographic list that was available by the big counter away from the tables that I finally noticed that someone was walking up to me from behind.

It was right as I turned that I felt my entire body tense up in surprise and… glee.

"Wait, you're here too?" I asked in surprise, leaning forward to look better at the smiling individual. "I mean, I would've expected you in the other set of clothes- but this is… truly a surprise."

The stalker _giggled_. "Now you're trying to flatter me. I didn't expect you to be summoned, _Jojo_."

"Now you wound me, Ria," I regarded the petite blonde looking back at me with the greatest amount of purity and freedom she could muster. It was way different than I remember her being from 'recent times', but it wasn't a bad thing. Not at all. "Who knows, maybe we ended up here because of our legendary deeds."

"I reckon we would've been summoned in our alternate names."

I shrugged. "Meh. Still, we ended up there."

We shared a nod and a quick chuckle.

"Oh, did you check any food?"

"Not yet. I had to deal with sassy girl here," I mirthfully rebuked, getting a playful tap from her fist on my elbow. "But you seem to know something super-secret and good. What is it?"

"It's a nice Servant that usually prepares food for others, mostly my… 'older selves'."

"Older selves? Wait, what is with that air quotes I'm hearing-"

"Hey, who are you!?" A sudden familiar voice exclaimed from one of the tables and we both turned to see… another Artoria? I frowned as I was surprised by the modern clothes this version was wearing. Baseball hat, a muffler, an open jacket that showed a white shirt with some Kanji, short pants and some stocking.

"I should be the one asking that. And… why are you yelling?"

"First you have to explain to me why you are approaching so familiarly my student? I can tell from a mere glance that you're a Saber!"

…

"What?"

"MHX is like that..." Ria tried to explain, only for my frown to intensify together with my irritation.

"What does me being of the Saber class do with her current attitude?"

Before the young Ria could've answered, I saw this 'MHX' unsheathe her blade and pointed it at me.

"I refuse to allow my padawan to be tainted by this stain!"

…

I glanced at Ria. "What?"

"Just… I… I don't want you two to fight."

Yet the escalation was continuing and I slowly grasped at Crocea Mors' hilt in preparation for that fight when-

"Hey, what are you doing?"

New intruders, and these ones had familiar faces too. There was older Ria, then Ria with golden eyes, also even older and bustier Ria and bustier Ria with golden eyes.

…

"N-None of your concern!" MHX remarked. "Just protecting my student from another Saber!"

"I don't see where the problem really is about," I retorted. "I was summoned like this? Where is the trouble in that?"

The old Ria, the one that had nothing different compared to the rest and the 'original', sighed tiredly. "MHX comes from a future where her home is on the brink of collapse as… there are too many Sabers."

…

"Wait, future? Which future?"

"The one from where all Sabers come from! Except Lily here."

Lily? What?

"W-Well, I come from Ria's universe so… does that make me an exclusion like her?"

She opened her mouth, seemingly ready to slam me down for asking that, only to stop as she realized what I had just said.

"You're from her dimension? Then why did you say that before all of this happened?!"

"Because you're the one making a scene!" I said with a huff. "I swear, you're as incorrigible as Ria in that regard."

MHX had the decency to look embarrassed, while 'Lily' huffed at the comment.

"Still, I don't recall hearing you introducing yourself, good sir," The 'old Ria' pointed out. "May you greet us with your real name?"

A swarm of Ria wanted my name? Sure, why not.

"I'm Joseph Bukharin, King of Britannia and Saber-class."

"Ruler of… isn't that the Roman attribution of Britain?" The normal Lancer inquired.

I nodded. "That is correct. Ria and I are the two rulers of the British Isles."

"You mean that… you're married to her?"

"No-"

"But we're more than just friends," The mirthful girl happily said, getting a sigh out of me and quite the frowns from the cadre of blondes.

"We've been summoned in our younger versions. I swear we're older when those events happened."

"And what events~-"

"R-Ria!"

"It's truly an interesting topic," The dark Lancer muttered quietly. "Still, I've to ask about… that pet name, Ria. Where does that one come from?"

"Oh, that's how she introduced herself to me," I explained more than happy. "We didn't know at the time we were the individuals we were meant to know each other the day after that encounter, and we both used nicknames to identify ourselves."

"I was Ria. And he was JoJo."

"We still are," I added mirthfully, getting a pretty sigh out of her.

"Yep."

"I don't want to… sound disruptive or too suspicious. But I noticed how you said that you're more than just friends. Lily aren't you still… married to Guinevere in your dimension?"

Ria's mouth opened and… then closed as a blush spread on her face.

"You're really embarrassed of that after all the innuendo you went through with?"

"I-It's not that easy to say. H-how about you say that to them?"

…I shrugged.

"While we were both married when our bonding time happened, the circumstances are far from… treacherous," I tried to elaborate. "Our wives… Well, they had decided to organize a private celebration and alcohol was issued. One thing led to another and… yeah."

"So you didn't betray Guinevere's trust," Excalibur Ria affirmed, getting a nod from the original one.

"Yep. In fact, the opposite happened as Guinevere was… fascinated by the event. So much that we made it a monthly occurrence."

"M-Monthly?!"

I felt uneasy at the stares I was getting from the rest of the Ria. While Excaliblast Ria and MHX were giving me annoyed looks… the rest was giving me a very bizarre expression. Something I had seen on Ria only when we were both in bed during one of these happenings.

"Actually, since you're here now..." Ria started pondering with a serious tone, drawing a nervous look out of me. Soon her eyes widened in realization, and she offered me the happiest smile she could offer. "Do you want to see my bedroom?"

_GAH! So direct!_

"I guess you're not going to take a no?"

"Nope~!"

"Couldn't it just wait for tonight? I wanted to check the rest of Chaldea for other familiar faces."

"There are two versions of Scathach, both of which aren't from our dimension, there is… Merlin. And his female version- Actually, there is a male King Arthur."

"That's interesting news," I commented, getting a sigh out of the girl.

"Morgan hasn't been summoned and… there is a Mordred, but she isn't… well."

"Well, what? What's wrong with Mordred?"

"Well-"

"Father!" I turned and saw a familiar armored young woman rushing towards us. Smiling, I ignored Ria's warnings as I rushed to intercept her. Mordred tensed up, her helmet dropping as I took her in a tight hug.

"Ah, daughter!"

…

"_**WHAT?!"**_

_**-To be continued!**_

* * *

**AN**

**This Omake is mostly canon. What is not canon is that I will probably make a serious telling of the FGO situation once the story is over.**

**Now, a quick message to readers since I've failed to explain myself properly:** **What I meant to say with 'No Harem' was more of 'the relationships will be fleshed out', and it will not be a M etc. but a 'MC x 1' - 'MC x 2'. Everyone will have their own relationships with Joseph, but don't expect them to be copy-pasted from other relationships with the story. Now, can we all talk about peace? And lots of love?**

**P.S. The Mya theory thing was a joke for those that hadn't noticed the way I sarcastically brought it up.**


	23. The Pup and the Unruly (4)

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**F/SN, F/Z, F/KPI and other products related to the Fate Series are all owned by TYPE-MOON, Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 20****: The Pup and the Unruly (4)**

* * *

"That's… troublesome."

My words were a clear reaction to the letter that had come straight from Camelot.

I should have predicted for something to go wrong. At least in the realm of chaos that was Ria's diplomatic quandary. While she had managed to hold her kingdom together long enough to confirm herself as the ruler of those lands, she still ended up embroiled in a war against her uncle.

Vortigern was, by all definitions, someone I still didn't have the chance to meet. Nor do I believe I was going to meet anytime soon considering the circumstances. With Ria busy trying to not get her kingdom ruined by her bastard of an uncle, I found myself alone in front of many difficult decisions regarding the Northern front. No diplomatic meeting, no chances for a proper alliance.

With a month having gone since I last ordained the capture of the rebellious territory that Lot had conquered off the Germanic invaders, the success of that operation had to have irked Morgan well enough to return to an aggressive mindset. There was no doubt in my mind that the sudden hostility of Vortigern was somehow tied to the enchantress, and with how things were right now, it was almost ironic that she still didn't have the advantage.

A month is a lot to make plans and moves to further centralize my power. With the first territorial acquisition from the Lothian being more than enough to rekindle an interest of my military to do something beyond guarding and patrolling important routes from rare bandits hanging around by deep forests.

Soldiers were eager for the battlefield, and as much this was a pleasant development to hear about from a giddy Marcus, I also knew that this behavior could turn in a double-edged way to raise jingoism in my country. And that was good right now for the vast territory that I could take in a powerful sweeping move, but it was going to be bad if I didn't find a way to moderate it once peace was needed.

So, after finalizing my steps needed to bring the Petty Kingdoms between the main enemy and Londinium down through bribery and assassinations. I finally found myself in a convenient situation where I could strike at my enemy and push them away from England proper before they could mobilize. The key was… planning out the blitzkrieg.

I still had to be rather formal when it came to declare war, but I ended up crafting the most devious and quite infuriating idea for when Morgan discovered the treachery I was planning to employ for the occasion.

Three days were issued for a big army to be prepared. Men flocked around to get their hands on armors and weapons, while women were encouraged to join the nurse corps together with those that were deemed better fit to be doctors instead of infantry. The rally was incredibly successful much to my relief, but I also had the displeasure of having to part way with Mya as I had to take charge of the army for this occasion. With how complex the big war plan was, I needed to be in the heart of the army if I wanted it to work properly.

I promised her a wedding at my return, and she demanded from me letters on a daily basis. It was tougher trying to make things fit when it came about Scathach. The month that had followed that bizarre development between us sure had me questioning on multiple occasions if accepting the offer she concocted with my fiance's blessing was really a good thing or not. I sure wasn't going to say now that I had made the big step, but I was still unsure how long this was meant to hold.

It was clear that the Queen of Shadows wanted more, but that she was willing to oblige the rules she had accepted from Mya's deal. The snuggling was awfully delightful, especially since I found myself sandwiched between two lovely ladies, yet it also led to some embarrassing mornings as both would be clinging on me particularly madly. Somehow the status quo was holding, and I had reason to believe it had to do with the fact these two had other agreements I wasn't aware of. Nothing important from that I could tell but… it was still something interesting to see unfold for the time being.

Nonetheless, Scathach decided to give me a parting gift before allowing me to properly leave. It was a sword… a familiar one, yet not. **Aurea Mors** was something I knew was going to be _**my**_ legendary weapon the moment I was handed it over by Scathach herself. She defined it as a masterpiece, and 'a tool that should still be treated with caution'. The combo of the fragments from what was left of Caliburn, mixed with the damaged frame of Crocea Mors and coupled with minor additions from a copy of Gae Bolg led to the creation of something that was way stronger than anything expected. A legendary blade that, much to my surprise, had a particular requirement about its true power's usage.

**Only those that have shown willpower before death itself shall be capable of using it to achieve ultimate victory.**

While the ominous requirement which came to be after mixing the three distinct weapons would assure that there was a catch behind its full usage, the truth was that it was… a blade beyond the boundaries of legendary swords. Scathach suspected it was something related to its origin, commenting how the 'shattering of one, and the rebinding by three' could have 'disoriented' nature itself on the matter.

Magic was odd, but Mystery was the base from which True Magic usually originated. So when something anew is created from known objects, rules seemed to go into a gray area nobody but a few have explored.

When Gae Bolg was first created, Scathach mentioned, the lance was given a divine nature through the 'unknown nature' it came from. It was the woman herself that 'picked' the 'once activated, the heart of the enemy is targeted until its destroyed', since her dead-related self-nature allowed this element to come to be as the absolute truth of Gae Bolg. That and with the usage of runes to guarantee the powerful ability to come to be as she wanted.

She explained how she had tried to do the same with Aurea Mors, but the blade seemed to 'refuse being tainted', suggesting that it had a degree of consciousness and understanding. It was when I first touched it that she realized that it came from Crocea Mors since it seemed to accept me as its wielder.

I was perplexed by this very discussion, but I accepted the upgraded blade nonetheless. A powerful object I would come to test soon considering what kind of marvelous and somewhat suicidal plan I had prepared for the occasion.

Strike at the bear while it is showing your back.

And in this case, the priority wasn't to completely overwhelm the Picts with what we had, but to push them out of the territory beyond the Hadrian's Wall. It was time to make an effort and… retake Britain 'for Rome'. It was doable, mostly because of how well-prepared my army was and how ill-prepared the early defenses were going to be. If there were going to be any with the idea I had about the proclamation of war.

I saw the idea of sending a message through normal instruments as a doubtful one since it would have given the time for the men taking the message at the border to read its content and mount up a defensive line by the border. Instead, I planned for Morgan to receive the declaration without having to wait that much, right to her desk.

Magecraft wasn't real magic, but it still allowed for magicians to pass to each other messages if the 'gates were open'. I wasn't sure what the terms really were since this knowledge came from a digression Altuos had gone through during one of our lessons about magecraft. It was possible for Morgan to have her 'end' open to accept messages since deadly tricks couldn't be used through that kind of magecraft.

But it still required resources and time to get the message packing. So I gave the guild master the time to get the letter prepared to be sent and then… it was time to go. The moment the message was slammed on the witch's face, I knew it was time to pack my things and lead the army north to start making some conquering.

Humming 'Ride Forth Victoriously' as I started the march for the border, I was happy when after two days we arrived at our first stop, Lindum (modern day Lincoln), and we found no garrison beyond the city's militia. The men didn't even put up a fight with how big the difference was in terms of strength and because they didn't mind being taken away by the Picts' rule. Taking the city, the next few conquests proved to be faster than expected as we found no resistance waiting for us by the Roman-made roads that connected to other major settlements. Three more days passed and Mancunium (Manchester) followed the same fate of Lindum, but we were also blessed with numerous volunteers joining the levy and taking part in the campaign.

It was a successful blitz. But one that I knew would have to eventually stop before we stretch ourselves too far. Which is why, when we arrived at Eboracum (York) needed to take a break until we had our first battle. It's been long enough for Loth to have massed a substantial army, and I wanted to get a true victory by crushing it in a defensive battle. He would need to come to us, especially when Cataractonium (Catterick) was taken with its forts and turned in a forward defensive position.

Setting up a triangular perimeter between Mancunium, Eboracum and Cataractonium was the best way of handling any assaults since it prevented any efforts from an enemy army from the north from managing in encircling one of the three settlements without the other forces breaking the encirclement down. I knew from reports from the scouts that the enemies were bound to come quite soon and we just had the time to finish setting up some traps, consolidate the defenses and… prepare for the spectacle.

Today was the day the world was shown the true ferocity of 'future warfare' in its majestic but horrifying glory. A day to remember, either with a smile or in complete infamy.

_**Maybe both.**_

* * *

I sat down by the table I had ordered placed down in the open so I could start dealing with the planning with Marcus.

"Marcus, how long did the scouts say it would take for the Picts to arrive?"

"A few hours, maybe less," The man hummed as he stared at the maps we managed to recover for the occasions. Eboracum was one of the greatest settlements here in Northern England.

Having served as a major city for Emperors visiting England to rest in, Eboracum was also famous for being the death place to Roman Emperor Lucius Septimius Severus, the founder of the Severan Dynasty. A place where many ambitious and daring plans of conquering Scotland had been made by Rome many centuries early and was now the place where I could redefine the borders to once again fit with the former Roman Rule.

I just needed to win this battle and finally close the distance to Hadrian's Wall. Only at that point negotiations were going to be possible, and I doubted those were going as peaceful as those were meant to be. Not with Morgan possibly trying to be there one way or another. So I patiently tried to see where this was going to go and… hopefully nothing bad was going to happen.

I doubted this was going to be the case, especially since our positions were reinforced with a special brand of weaponry I had the delight to have already tested and standardized for the occasions. With the idea of getting rifles to work going a little less smoother than planned, I decided to dabble in the art of Artillery.

And the results were… way better than my first efforts of getting rifles so quickly. The Rifleman regiment was still a thing, but they were now limited to a few loyal men, but Cannons were… way more difficult for those to be stolen by a single man. Heavier and bulkier than rifles, the large-caliber howitzers I had ordered to be created were the closest to what I could remember from those used during the Napoleonic Wars.

A Twelve-Pounder, a weapon that, if used in modest numbers, was going to make attacking and defending quite easy for the army owning those. And I was the only one capable of mustering such deadly equipment. The army was already accustomed with it, and even the two blond twins that had accompanied me for this campaign had the chance of seeing those in action.

Gareth was mostly unfazed by those, having some minor worries just early on when she saw those at work. Gaheris was… the opposite. A boy being a boy, he found the explosive nature of the shells used by the cannons interesting and it wasn't unusual to find him around when there were practice shootings happening. The artillery pieces were going to shred through the lines of our current problem in the north. No matter the size of their forces, or how determined they were.

With the perimeter set, it was time to see how long it was going to take for the Lothians to try and break onto it. The distant roaring began and I saw some light coming from Cataractonium and I waited patiently as I expected to see some minor group managing to get around the first line and trying to get to us. I was so convinced that this was going to be an exciting battle that I forgot that there was an element that made Lot's armies… different than many others.

Tribes. The backbone was made by levies coming from not-so loyal groups under his banner, and… when 'mercenaries' were put for the first time through the horror of cannonades, then the resulting effect that was the 'shellshock' was going to be far more disruptive and significant than in a professional army.

So when I saw two to three men once in a while rushing away and towards us, holding nothing in their hands, I was confused. Why would they send disarmed people to us? Why did they look so frightened? Maybe they were used as suicide bombers? No. As much as I expected this to be possible if my opponent had that degree of inhumanity, I was quite sure Morgan would never think up of something so horrible. It was just beyond disgusting and… 'uncouth'.

A blink, then two gone as I tried to make sense of the sight. Finally the realization of what was happening settled as I realized why I wasn't seeing any attempt to continue the attack. The fright effect had been more than enough to disorganize and shatter the core of the enemy army.

I was eventually given confirmation of these suspicions when a messenger from the settlement up in the north. The rush of soldiers was broken with just the two volleys of explosive shells. The loud noise prior to the impact, the destruction it created on the infantry's ranks and the ground around the survivors- everything counted as a factor that could put many brave men's will to test. No one likes being subjected to an artillery barrage, especially when you are a tribe warrior from medieval times.

As I relaxed on my chair, I noticed that a certain young woman was having some trouble handling the absurd news we were just relayed. I didn't blame Gareth for being this shocked over the unexpected turn of events, but I could tell that the truth was a different one.

"I- Your highness, can I ask a frank question?"

I hummed, giving a nod towards her, noticing fairly quickly the girl's surprised tone at the news.

"W-Wasn't this battle supposed to be tougher?"

…

"Yes. I thought it was going to be more difficult myself," I agreed with a nod. "But I failed to take into account a couple of elements. Like the fact these soldiers don't have much of a purpose beyond fighting, killing and looting."

"And… what does it have to do with what just happened?"

I narrowed my eyes at Gaheris, the boy tensing up as Marcus appeared from behind him to squeeze his right shoulder.

"Ya forgot to ask for permission to give that question, boyo."

…

"Your highness-"

"Without a purpose to fuel their desire to fight, the first fright shook them in a panic. They don't have a major reason to be there to attack us. They aren't defending something they consider theirs," I explained, interrupting his request. "Lot is a tyrant despite how many people have accepted him as their liege. And he returns the disappointment his subjects have for him with scorn and faux ignorance. For once I will… forgive you for forgetting to ask for permission. I can accept if we are back in the castle, but there is a reason why the army has a chain of command, Sir Gaheris."

His eyes widened at the extra title and it took him a moment to formulate a response. A single nod, but a respectful one at that. Marcus released him and we both were back at the table as we debated what we were meant to do next. It was clear that the first good step was waiting a day, allowing the soldiers to properly recover from the previous march, and then resume our path to the Hadrian's Wall.

At this point, we were close enough to seal the deal. With the men hailing from Eboracum seemingly loyal to our cause, I decided that a mixed brigade of Londinium soldiers and people from this settlement would man the Wall once we arrived at our destination. I planned for a bi-monthly guard-change to happen, with parts of the army to be constantly put under the duty of guarding something that was known to hold very dangerous people beyond.

And it was while I was engrossed on the papers that I paused at the sound of someone humming. Not the kind of humming I wanted to hear since I easily recognized the voice I was listening to. And from the fact both Gareth and Gaheris reacted by tensing up their guards and unsheathing their weapons was enough to confirm that I was dealing with an unexpected intrusion.

I sighed, looking to the side of the table, and noticing the woman already sitting by a chair that wasn't previously there. She didn't look any different since the last time I saw her- okay, maybe she was less bruised and injured, but the woman was still the bitch I remembered her being.

"Morgan."

The woman blinked, her eyes shining through her veil with some curiosity at my lacking greeting.

"Joseph."

Marcus almost jumped at the exchange, finally realizing what was going on. Still, he didn't attack, realizing how 'calm' I currently was. There was no magic at hand, at least not in my current being from what I could tell in that moment. The issue was about Morgan. Something about her calm demeanor just left me nervous and cautious when it came at 'how easy' it would be to attack her. Something was… just off.

And then, I saw some runes glowing beneath her sleeves. Runes that I recognized being some advanced stuff that I had tried and failed to get on living beings since… engraving on skin was kind of awkward and disgusting. Still, the woman decided to go for it on her own arms and she seemed fine with it despite the fact it had to hurt a lot.

Still, kudos for her for having put herself in a situation where nobody couldn't harm her without suffering their own damage on themselves. That kind of rune was known to protect an object, or a living being for any 'metal' individual willing to cut runes on their own flesh, by mirroring the damage suffered back on the sender. If someone decided to attack her at that moment, they would possibly die by their own hand.

"You saw," Morgan scoffed, almost irked that I had messed up her cheeky efforts by intruding without any guards or protections.

"It's been a while," I replied with a confident tone. "I guess you're angry."

"Mildly," She quickly remarked. "But I can't decide if I should be more infuriated with my foolish children for pursuing a change of allegiances to serve you, or be angered by your blatant thievery."

"We never served you," Gaheris replied heatedly, gaining his mother's bored stare.

"Stupid boy, you were born from my womb. You served me from the moment you were birthed by me."

"By that definition, you should have submitted to your father's decree to have Arthur to be his descendant," I recalled flatly. "Yet, you decided to refuse his rule and fight for what you believe is right."

"You think this is a parallel?" The woman pressed, clearly irked by my intervention in what had seemed to be a brief family-only exchange. One look at Gareth, and I could say that the girl was holding just well enough before the presence of her mother.

"I think bad things tend to come back at people. Especially to those that don't understand they are only doing wrong with their actions."

"Truly an impressive display of disgusting greed," She lamented, tilting her head to the side as she regarded me with extreme boredom. "You're trying to lecture me even though you are the one intruding in my reign like a thief to steal people and plots of lands from me."

"You aren't the King-"

"Inconsequential. 'King' or not, a title given out so easily to someone with luck no longer defines who is a true ruler of something," The enchantress stated with a serious tone. "Power, magic, wisdom… charisma. My _brother_ has the capacity to keep that crown of his right now, but… what about you."

"You know, magicking your way into people's minds so they can nod at any of your sentences, doesn't exactly make you charismatic," I remarked. "Also, I don't want to sound offensive, but I recall you being a little less… inclined to keep this moral high ground."

"Are you perhaps assuming I don't own an inkling of what charisma is?"

"Only that you don't have any," I pointed out, ignoring her little threat with ease. "Else this battle would have been longer. Your men weren't that tough."

"That's because those weren't my 'men', Joseph. You should recognize the fact I don't pick foolish sellswords for tasks as delicate as dealing with you," The woman affirmed. "In fact, let's say that they did a fine job doing what they were really employed for."

I frowned. "What?"

"You stopped. Even for a single day, you were forced to pause before the Wall," She explained with a hint of mirthfulness. "And that offered me enough time to prepare for your ultimate demise."

…

"That sounds terribly overconfident. I assume you have something interesting planned, but let me ask you this," I said with a curious tone. "Is the 'surprise' meant to spring in action before or after the wall?"

"Only time will tell-"

"Then I will take a risk and stop by the Wall."

…

"Wait, what did you just say?"

"You said that there is a chance it can happen before or after the wall. Since I don't want to risk any ambushes in uncharted territories," I elaborated. "Plus, I don't have much plans to stretch my supplies too much. I don't have enough to handle right now what you might be hiding as a trap in your innermost fief, so I will wait, improve my new lands and then handle you with extreme caution."

From her furious glare, I could tell I had been correct with that claim. She was indeed trying to have me step beyond the wall, to clash against her loyalists in lands she had possibly filled with traps of normal and magical kind. But now that she knew that all that work was to waste, I could finally take this real victory with a big grin.

"You will die, Joseph of Britannia" She coldly affirmed and I stared back at her with a frown.

"And I will destroy you, Morgan Pendragon."

Her eyes narrowed as I used her first surname, ignoring the one she inherited through her marriage. It wasn't a refusal to recognize that union, rather my genuine understanding that the marriage she had with Lot wasn't a real one. But one for her convenience.

…

"Your eyes… they are different than last time I saw them," The woman commented quietly. "Still afraid, still weak- but now stronger and… fearless. You really are a confusing pretender, Joseph."

I didn't reply to that, allowing her to stand up from her seat. The blonde didn't do much beyond walking away and… going through a portal she decided to create for her leave. My stare was on the spot she previously occupied, and the silence continued until Marcus' hand calmly patted at the table.

My stare moved to the man and the commander sighed.

"That was some tense scene."

"Yes," I curtly agreed to his point. "She had runes that returned any damage she suffered back to the sender."

He nodded in understanding at why I was so unwilling to attack her. The comment seemed to effectively defuse any doubts the twins had over my lack of action. One thing was being paranoid, but I did recognize her runes as legitimate ones from the glow, the way they were engraved and the magical output those were creating.

_**Despite that victorious day, I couldn't help but feel upset by her last words. Afraid and weak, but strong and fearless… why? Why did this feel so familiar?**_

* * *

**AN**

**Since last time I uploaded an Omake, here is something a little more serious. Worry not, this will not be the last campaign made by Joseph and… the Picts have not been defeated in the fullest.**

**But with the menace of King Lot and Morgan marginalized for the time being, the current threat is now Ria's crazy uncle and his plans to be King.**

**To those asking for a continuation to the Omake:** **There will be another one… and even more. But I think it will all be snippets without real comments about the singularities. Those are reserved for when either this story or a sequel to this story will treat this bit of the multiverse (probably a pseudo-sequel/or something that can be considered a sequel, but you don't need to read if you're not up for FGO elements).**

**P.S. 'Ride Forth Victoriously' is a song from Europa Universalis 4, it generally plays when your nation is at war with another.**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Runelt99****: Complicated. XD**

**Overtale****: That's gonna be a fun reunion. Especially when Scathach has two other individuals joining the conversation with interest. Two individuals that can be said to know Joseph as much as she does.**

**Valkoor123113****: Never said that. Mordred's origin will get a lot of… facepalms. Of the comical kind than the disappointing one.**

**Halo****: Maybe.**


	24. The Christmas Episode (2020)

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**F/SN, F/Z, F/KPI and other products related to the Fate Series are all owned by TYPE-MOON, Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**The Christmas Episode (2020)**

* * *

I took a moment to back away from the little reason that had me working my ass off during this early bit of the morning. The thin Holly tree that I had ordered was particularly tall, almost scratching the ceiling of the living room as I finished setting it up for the big event for today.

Lancelot hummed from afar, silently pondering over the madness that I was trying to implement for today since I had yet to completely explain to him what my plans were since it was the Eve of Christmas. The reason why I had yet to do so was tied to the fact I was waiting for Felicianus to come by and listen to this explanation himself. Today was a good day to further shift the Church to a benevolent entity while also tying it to a tradition that was easily going to boost its standing with the people.

The Bishop arrived particularly early, perhaps sensing that today was really a good day. After exchanging some formal greeting I had him check the Christmas Tree while explaining why I had decided to

"Why this tree?" He inquired, sounding more surprised than else. "Is there any… major significance to it?"

"It's particularly common here in our nation," I replied with a small smile. "If it has to be something people could actually afford, then it should be something that can be found quite easily and at an affordable price. It should be a day of joy and remembrance for our Lord Jesus Christ, and his ways of kindness and friendly bonds among the sons and daughters of God."

"A fascinating way to interpret Christmas, my liege. I suppose this is but a first step of many," The elder admitted and I quickly gave him a nod before laying out what was supposed to happen next. The meeting didn't last for long, with the most troublesome element being tied to the fact that I was trying to have him make a public declaration of goodwill together with Altuos. It wasn't a novelty for these two to still bicker from time to time, but their 'rivalry' had settled to a somewhat exchange of witty remarks with the softening of the Church's position over magecraft.

It did help a lot when it was confirmed through some old tomes recovered by the Magus Guild that Solomon was known to make use of extensive magic during his reign. The little tie between God and Magic effectively removed any inclinations to define magecraft as a product of Satanism. And that meant less harshness being exchanged by both parties.

A proper exchange like a handshake or something of the kind was definitely going to make some lasting impact for the Church of England for the next few centuries. And I really was making plans to prevent this from ever going bad since… it worked. Somehow it actually worked and it prevented any possible 'witch hunts' that were going to eventually happen the moment the early medieval situation settled down.

After sending a letter to Ria to bid her and her wife a joyful Christmas day, I proceeded to also make plans for a small private celebration at the castle. Guards were granted the chance to enjoy some food while they were off-duty, but no alcoholic beverages to prevent them from failing at their jobs. It was important to still keep their attention sharp at their role despite the kind approach I was trying to go for today.

Mia was quite happy when I mentioned the idea of gifts, and she asked to join my little crusade in getting all the items that I planned to offer to our closest friends. After hours spent trying to find all the stuff I had in my list, I eventually brought the large bags of objects by the living room where I had planned for a little party for midnight.

Gareth and Gaheris were relieved when I settled to give them some winter-only new armors that were stuffed with some fur meant to keep them warm in these trying temperatures. The twins were rather thankful for that set of gifts, with the boy surprisingly enough being the most flustered of the two.

Marcus was laughing in disbelief when I presented him a fully restored set of Roman armor and garments. I also had a Gladius, a Pilum (medium-sized spear) and a Scutum (Shield) added to the set, making it a particularly nice addition to the overall gift. With him running a broken record of 'not grasping the joke I made', I turned to give other gifts.

Lancelot was happy with the new saddle for his horse since it was the only thing I knew he had complained about. The man was just so reserved when it came to complaining or protesting if it wasn't for any life-threatening situations.

Scathach was the one that actually found the entire idea the most fascinating. Having spent centuries away from the real world, the concept of having a festivity that centered about bonds and the celebration of goodwill among those that are your fellow humans was enough to drive her out of her domain and peek at what I had planned for her.

Imagine the frown on her face as she stared at the small box that contained the gift I had planned for her. The woman quietly gave me a questioning look as she slowly unwrapped the piece of violet and red cloth I had prepared for her. She unraveled it and then realized what it was.

"A… scarf?"

"I remember when you said that you had trouble handling some of the harsh cold that is common in the Land of Shadows during this season. I know how much you dislike minor distractions that could hinder your combat prowess," I answered her indirect question. "So I decided to have a custom scarf prepared with enchantments meant to solve problems like the material being a little rough and now it's smooth enough to not make any problems for you to wear during battles."

The woman merely nodded, putting it on and… keeping quiet. Still, I felt relieved when I saw a flash of a smile appear on her visage, genuinely proving how happy she was over this nice little thing.

Finally, it was Mya's turn and… she was really surprised when I unwrapped a book. Not just a simple book at that, but one filled with tales I told her. 'Her' tales. The realization struck her rather amusingly. Tensing up, her shoulders lifting up as she stared wide-eyed at me, I smiled kindly at her as I explained the reason behind that book.

"I took some of my spare time to write down the stories I used to tell you before bedtime," I explained. "I was planning to give you this, so you can remember back to these times and… remember those moments fondly."

There was a curious amount of silence coming from her, the woman taking some time to open the tome and giving a quick read of the first page. She easily spotted the little dedication written for her, and the affectionate words I used to depict the idea behind this book. She looked up, her red eyes almost growing blurry as she prepared to cry at the gift and... I was tackled down by the overjoyed girl. Chuckling, I patted the back of her head, eliciting her to snuggle closer and drop me a storm of 'thank you's as the other admired the entire situation in pure amusement.

_**At least I could enjoy this few moments of peace with those I care for. What a merry Christmas indeed.**_

* * *

**I know this is early, but I didn't want to mess things up with the upload of this by cramping it with other Christmas-related uploads. Anyway, I hope you all shall enjoy a merry Christmas with your family despite the current situations we are suffering with the pandemic. And, before anyone asks, I don't plan to take a break from writing in this period. I believe I have plenty of time to rest and do other things, so I don't need any lengthy pauses about it.**


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